28-29/5/7

203ish lbs.

Did abs yesterday. Kept it pretty simple, cuz i want to see how strong i can get on hanging leg raises and see where that takes me. Experimented with some oblique work.

Hanging Leg Raises:

3 sets of 25

Failed at about 23 on the last set. These suck, but i felt like i did less permanent damage this week than last. Li'l bit better.

Decline Bench Oblique Twist Thingies:

3 sets of 30 with some hand weights.

These were experimental. Kept my hips static and basically shifted weight from one side to the other. Mostly an endurance exercise, but i liked it.

Today i went bouldering. Stuck the last hold on m' proj and fell matching for the top-out. Thurs. or Fri. it will be mine. Bought "Dosage Volume 4" which i heavily recommend if you wanna get psyched to climb. Hands are still thrashed from today, and i still went out and hung on my wall after it was over. They's some strong homies out there.

27/5/7

203 lbs.

Following your (G) suggestion to work something like an upper-body day and a lower-body day for two days a week in the regular gym, i went in this morning and did a general, pretty unstructured upper-body workout. See if i can remember how it went.

Pullups:

20 x BW

Cable Rows:

10 x 165
10 x 180
8 x 195
6 x 210
6 x 210

Finally got a cable row machine in. Happy am i.

DB Shrugs:

14 x 80
10 x 100
10 x 100

DB Bench:

2 sets 10 x 50

This showed me just how bad i hurt my shoulders. There was no weight, but my shoulders wouldn't let me do any more. Gonna take some rehab on these.

Pec Deck:

Few sets of some reps with some weight. Nearly popped my shoulders outta joint.

Comments:

i was very pleasantly surprised that my back hasn't lost any strength really. On the other hand, my chest and especially my ant. delts have gone the way of the wooly mammoth. It was fun to get back into it though, and putzing around non-commitally let me think outside the box a li'l bit. i'm getting some good training ideas. Also i've lost a coupla lbs. and that's kindof encouraging. At the moment i think i'm gonna split this workout up into 3 days: upper-body, abs, and low-back/ legs.

24/5/7

Went climbing last night. After a day of feeling mostly suicidal, we took the kids to the park and Annie made me play tag. Then i felt alive again for a li'l bit. So i went to the climb gym after we put them down. It's very nice at 8 or 9 at night. There's almost no one there, and the ones who are there are there to climb, and they're usually friendly. No rubbery high-schoolers trying to look cool: "C'mon, man! Get that shit! Stick it, brah." And no all-you-can-eat buffett tenants bouldering in their harnesses. At any rate, i felt good and unrushed. Went back and sent a V2 i'd done before, but hadn't been able to repeat. Worked all the moves on my proj' (also a V2), and-- come to think of it-- all the moves on another V2, although i missed the final throw. Just gotta go back in fresh and send and i'll call myself a V2 climber. Now i'm starting to feel secure about working some 3s. Tendonitis didn't flare up last night, and my hands are getting strong again. Just need to lose 15 or 20 lbs. now.

22/5/7

204 ish.

ME Squats:

Warmup
Bar x 20
135 x 5
225 x 3
245 x 3
265 x 1
285 x 1
305 x 1
325 x 1
325 x 1

Tried 325 for a 3rd go, but it folded me in half. Couldn't get focussed for it. i gotta say that the belt is a good motivation not to fail. Setting my face on my knees under 325 lbs. with a totally immovable belt under the rib cage was a less-than-pleasant experience. Once again, i didn't have time for deads.

21/5/7

Ran this morning for about an hour. That felt good. My ankles hurt, my knees hurt, and i'm allergic to the entire world, but it was sure good to move. Gonna have to do a lot more of that.

Yesterday, i did abs in the gym. Switched it all up. Did Hanging Leg Raises first and did more of 'em. 3 sets of 25 (although i had to stop and cry for a li'l bit at 20 on the last set). This was paradigmatic. i've never had my abs ripped apart like that, and at the same time felt like i was doing something functionally meaningful with 'em. If i can just get up to some sets of 1,000, i'll have some abs that i can take climbing with me. Finished the workout with some experimental oblique stuff. Decline MedBall Twists or something. Not bad.

19/5/7

Once again, i didn't work out today (as i meant to), but i did yesterday. Went to the climb gym. Only got the two climb workouts in last week, but i probably needed some rest. i left the gym pretty sure i had tendonitis in my biceps, triceps, and posterior forearm bundle. Wasn't a very good session, but i was real tired. On a brighter note, i did get my new throwing target put together today, and i applied for another job. Sanity has been preserved for a li'l longer. i think my workouts would improve dramatically if i slept. Ever. Seems like it to me anyhow.

17/5/7

2,000 lbs.

Haven't worked out today yet, but i did go to the climb gym yester's eve. Not so good. i was still utterly trashed from the squat workout. Like, the thought of laying my head down on my knee, or dropping a knee deep was outta the question. Need to start working back again. And i gotta start losing weight. i think i could pretty comfortably hang at 185ish-- without starving etc.-- and that's 20 lbs. away. My iron workouts are gonna have to be changed dramatically if they're gonna survive. i think i'd be way stronger than i otherwise would be on rock if i keep up the iron work, but i can't do what i've been doing. i can't recover in time to climb, and that's my sport. i wanna climb v6 and lead solid hard 11 by this time next year. i'm gonna start getting as technical with the climb workouts as i have been with weights. i've been real hodge-podge with climb training 'cuz i'm just getting back into it, but i'm starting to work v2 pretty well again, and i'm getting my weaknesses narrowed down to a managable number. cheers

15/5/7

204 lbs.

Squats:

20 x bar
8 x 205
8 x 225
8 x 245 (strapped the ol' belt on fer this'un)
8 x 255
6 x 265
6 x 265

Felt good-- as in, "That was even better than being run over by a train." This was a decent jump in weight from the last RE workout.

Comments:

Got to the gym late today 'cuz of work, and didn't get to do deads. Felt pretty good this morning so i decided to blow it out on squats. And i did. Think i gave me an aneurysm. Had a hard time both getting into my car and using any of the more meaningful pedals driving it. And i think i popped an eyeball. Still haven't been able to get in for back work when it wouldn't screw up a climbing session, and my shoulder's still bugging me on chest and delt work. i'm gunna hafta swallow the pride and just go in for some reeeal light rehab. That irritates deeply.

14/5/7

Went to the gym this morning after work and i was running on fumes. Did two sets of 50 Decline Crunches with a 10 lb. ball. Then i did three sets of 15 hanging straight leg raises. Then i went home. Couldn't find any motivation. Tomorrow should be better.

8/5/7

Lessee..

ME Squats:

Warm up
135 x 5
225 x 3
245 x 3
265 x 1
285 x 1
305 x 1
325 x 1 (new pr)

That was a 20 lb. jump, so i feel ok with that even though it's still under a quarter-ton.

Comments:

Spent the last few days in Amarillo-- mostly getting fat. i went to the climbing gym on Tues. 'fore i left, and i scored V2. That was a nice feeling. Went tonight after i got in and couldn't do the same climb. If ever you decide to go climbing after a beer, just lay down 'till the feeling passes. i had one stinking beer and i was climbing at about 15% motivation level. i did manage to tear most of the skin off of my pinky, so i felt better about that.

7/5/7

Went in for some chest today, did a short set of DB Bench and threw in the towel. Shoulders are still hurting on bench and i'm just too sleepy. Did climb again on friday though. Gotta get back into the regular gym; it's very hard to sort it all out and not be wasted. S'posed to go to Amarillo this week, so i don't know what the workout schedule'll look like. Maybe i can work out with mamma and daddy some. Don't feel too far off at any rate. Definitely stronger in the rock gym. Just gotta figure out how to mesh it all together.

1-2/5/7

i did get back in for some climbing yestereve. James (whom you met here) joined the climbing gym today. He and i went yesterday and today. He's got a broken foot, so we haven't done much bouldering; just routes. i have no endurance whatsoever. i've pulled down almost every 5.8 in the house, one hard 9 and almost got an easy 10 today. Then i got on several v0's to see if i had any juice left, and got 'em. Felt good. Pretty sure i've got tendonitis in almost every tendon in my arms, but it was a good workout. If we keep this up, i might actually lose this 30 lb. baby i've been carrying around for too long now, and get strong to boot. Didn't get in to the weights to work back today. i would'a had to eat the whole bottle of ibuprofen. Abs and a run tomorrow, hopefully.

1/5/7

206ish lbs.

Missed a bunch of workouts, and i need to switch up anyhow to fit it around climbing, so i wasn't sure of what to do today. Tossed about the idea of doing abs, but i wasn't feeling up to it. Figured heavy back work would screw up bouldering this evening. So we settled on legs. Plus i had that lovely belt demanding attention. i'm a lot like a li'l kid at christmas when it comes to new toys.

Squats:

10 x 135
8 x 205
8 x 225
8 x 235
8 x 245
6 x 255
6 x 255

This is not the same kind of workout with that thing on. i went up some in weight, but i could'a kept going. Legs and butt still got the full exposure, but there was no low back strain. Basically, the low back is relieved of strain almost linearly with how much gut-tension you can generate into the belt. Be interesting to break the physics down. Obviously, it's not moving the center of mass, but it seems like it shifts the point of torque forward. At any rate, legs and booty got a helluva workout.

S. L. Deads:

15 x bar
14 x 95
10 x 135
10 x 155
8 x 175

Left off the last set as i was pushing it to get home in time to let Steph out to work, and i wished not to incur her wrath. Did do that last set without the wrist hooks, unlike last week.

Needed more time, but it was a good workout. Hope to get in to boulder later.

30/4/7

Lessee... Sat. instead of doing deads and squats m'self, i just watched Glenn do a whole ton of weight. Then we repaired to the casa and drank him under the table. Sun. i woke up feeling like an 80 yr. old, and i finally left work halfway through the night with a 102.5 fever. i gotta get a new job. i feel way better today, but i'm usually halfway through my workout week by today, and i haven't done anything at all. At any rate, i probably needed the rest. My shoulder does feel better. Got the Inzer belt in, and i must say that it's a sexy piece of cowhide. One of these days i might even get to try it out. They put a system wall up at the climbing gym since my membership lapsed back around Jan. and that is one sick training tool. i'm kinda in limbo here with the workout thang, as climbing is my raison d'etre. i need to write up a workout that gets me skinny and strong as a gorilla. i think things will become clearer when i'm not so tired and groggy. Perhaps i will work on that now...

25/4/7

Today's an off day, but i thought i'd scribble down that i did a bouldering session last night. Not so good. i'm very fat, and my forearms are about the same girth as my daughter's. At least it was a workout. And i figured out how to get Moby off the iPod. That's a li'l bit of a breakthrough. i still have high hopes that the Inzer belt'll arrive this week. Oh and i switched sat. night with another cat, so i'll get to hang out; so don't bail on me or i'll be forced to drink heavily all by myself. Nastrovya.

24/4/7

204 lbs.

ME Bench:

i was feeling my oats today and wanted to max.

1,000,000 x Bar
5 x 135
3 x 165
3 x 175
1 x 185
1 x 195
1 x 205
1 x 215
1 x "225" (possibly a new PR)

Pushed out 215 clean again, and it felt not too bad, but my shoulder was hurting pretty good. So i asked this guy for a spot. Told 'im that it was a max and i hadn't done the weight before, but that i'd worked up to it and should be able to snag it. Lowered and shoved the bar up like it weighed 200 (which it probably did) and racked it. He goes, "Oh, are you done?" with this quizzical look on his face.

Comments:

i'm dreadful tired of stupid people. i'm tired of my shoulder hurting. i wish i'd remembered to pack the iPod in my pack last night. i'm glad i got 215 clean again, but i'm gonna change my chest work henceforth. Having to rely on other people for really anything at all sucks. i shall try to find a way around it. Plus i need to rehab the shoulder anyway.

23/4/7

204 lbs.

Medball Decline Crunches:

3 sets of 50 with a 10 lb. ball.

Straight Leg Raises:

3 sets of 15

Russian Twists:

12 x 25
10 x 35
10 x 35
10 x 35

Comments:

Didn't do the Axe Chops this time. Experimented with Oblique Hanging Leg Raises. Them's hard-- 'specially after the other hanging leg raises-- but i pulled off a few reps on each side. i think i'm gunna start doing those first, and see if i can get strong at 'em.

21/4/7

202 lbs.

Squats:

10 x 135
8 x 205
8 x 225
8 x 235
6 x 245 (The spirit of pushing really hard left me at this point.)
6 x 245 (This was a bit better)

Felt good starting out, but i got distracted on those last sets. Couldn't get focussed. Last set was good. i wanted to go up in weight, but i didn't have it. Next week, i think...

S.L. Deads:

15 x Bar
14 x 95
10 x 135
10 x 155 (earlier and more reps with this)
8 x 175 (New heavier weight here. )
8 x 175

These still weren't too gut wrenching. Couldn't hold the bar, though, after the climbing sesh. Forearms are torched to the bone. i'm just not too into the idear of taking straight leg deads to the hairy edge. This was a good workout.

State of the Onion

i took yesterday (usual chest day) off, trying to recupe my degenerating left a.c./glenohumeral joint. So i went climbing instead. i am mighty fat, and my hands have weakened by some negative exponent to approximating about the same strength they commanded when i was 3 or 4 days old. But it was fun. i did push down a "V1", which i'd amend to about a really hard V0-. i'll take it as a V1 anyway just for my otherwise smushed ego. Oh, and i got an iPod shuffle in the mail today, which improves the prognosis of my squat workouts rather dramatically. Couldn't say why, but i think i might just be able to push more to an angry electronic riff than to the Eagles. Thank you, O brutha of mine, for saving me from the throes of Phil Collins. Now i just gotta figure out how to turn the thing on...

17-18/4/7

1 Megaton

Just for the record i did a fairly skeletal back workout (RE on Pullups and Rows) on tues. and i ran for ca. an hour yesterday. Haven't had much time to post this week. my b-day was tues., steph's is today and Ian&Monica are coming tonight, so it's tight. Anyhow, i'm on m' way to the climbing gym with some birthday lucre to renew the ol' membership. i can already feel life getting better. It's always been the breaking strain on my iron workouts to try to integrate 'em with climbing or triathlon. Thing is, i know if i stuck with it and modified my workouts to fit, i'd get strong as atch-ee-double-hockey-sticks. So i could use some cheerleading. Or else, i need to be roundly abused and mocked if i bail. i do have that bleedin' Inzer belt coming in (hopefully this next week) and that should inspire me to get over the hump. It's amazing how motivational really expensive gear can be to go use it. Never fails to get me through a season.