A Trip to the Gym with BK

Eating:  just had a salad from Chop't

Drinking:  just had an espresso, should drink some water

Listening:  nothing

 

WA Pullups 60# 10

Deadlift 90# 10, 100# 10, 110# 10

Bench press 105# 12

Pulldown 130# 10

Squat 155# 12 ... sick

OH Press 60# 11

Close grip pulldown 100# 10

Weighted incline situps 35# 8

Dips 9

Backups 12

 

Felt great, totally buzzed.  My energy levels were really high and I hate to admit it but I got a kind of sick thrill out of benching more than BK (with no effort).  It is starting to dawn on me that I am making real progress, and there is a lot more progress to be made.  I will be squating body weight soon, and I might even be able to deadlift bodyweight in the next couple months.  If I am lucky enough to have a squatter again, I could bench a lot more.  I even feel pretty upbeat about the possibility of someday doing sets of pullups (although clearly there is a ways to go there).

 

I had intended to do one-armed rows and lunges, but didn't.  By the time I did the second set of pulldowns my forearms were totally pumped, and I felt like I had gotten a pretty good arm / shoulder workout, and I hate lunges.  I will have to get over that some day. 

 

Wow, I feel really good. 

Double Climb

Eating: chocolate

Drinking: nothing, I'm already drunk

Listening: ambient noise from the hallway

 

I did a double climb of the whole building today.  First climb 9:52.  Second climb 7:52 to 28 (total 66, more or less), 11:02 to top.  I was pretty wiped out on the second climb.

 

Meant to do this yesterday but I didn't because wonder of wonders I got staffed on something.  The possibility of fucking it up is stressing me out completely. 

Yesterday

Eating:  leftover jail food

Drinking:  water

Listening:  nothing

 

Yesterday I was feeling a little crappy.  I slept very poorly, in part because I got wasted at the Rangers game with the BIL.  I hit the gym around 4, undercaffinated, and did:

 

WA pullups 50# 8 (felt weak)

Deadlift 70# 10 80# 10 90# 10

Dumbbell press 40# 12

Pulldown 130# 10, I think

Squat 145# 12

OH press 60# 10, I think

WA chinups 50# 8

Lunges 50# 2 per side, way too heavy!

 

Instead of carrying my Blackberry around the gym, like an idiot, I should take a piece of paper and a pen.  Also, I had intended to do situps, backups and pushups, but didn't - too tired and too lazy.  I spent about 15 minutes in the hot tub after that, trying to avoid the next-day tightness in the backs of the legs that comes from deadlifting.  I have to ask: is this enough?  I don't know if I really feel like this routine is going to make me stronger. 

The Stair Master

Eating: nothing

Drinking: nothing

Listening: nothing

 

8 x 30" stair run, 1' rest

 

Intervals were great.  I was supposed to do 10 but I was totally out of juice after 8.  However I feel great now. 

 

I had intended to fast from yesterday lunch today lunch, but after putting the little monster to bed last night I was so hungry, I just had to have a chicken burrito.  Oh well.  Maybe someday.  I love eating.

A Program?

Eating: just had yet another delicious harvest cobb

Drinking: water

Listening: Awungilobolele

 

pulldowns 150# 8

 

At this point in my workout, I was approached by a personal trainer, let's call him "Carlos", who pointed out some faults in my pd technique, specifically that my shoulders were too far up and forward and that my chest was collapsed.  I listened to what he had to say, which was all sensible, and discussed my goal of doing pullups.  He suggested using the weight assist machine.  So, going forward, that's what I'm going to do, use the weight assist machine, assuming a weight of 190 (actually 186!) with an assist of 50#.  He also said he wants to see me do 3 x 5 pullups in two weeks.  Yeah right.  But, eventually.  So, continuing:

 

WA pullups 50# 8

deadlift 50# 10 60# 10 70# 10

dumbbell press 30# 10 35# 10 40# 10

squat 145# 10

OH press 70# 8 (bad form, drop to 60# next time)

dips 5

 

Then a sauna for 10 or 15 minutes.  A lot of arm work, and I am feeling it now.  I may pay Carlos to help me with deadlifting.  My hamstrings, particularly my right one, are very tight.  On the whole thought not a bad half hour workout.  Also I should keep pulldowns in the rotation, just after WA pullups. 

Back from Canada; Sick; Another Stairclimb

Eating: nothing

Drinking: nothing, and jesus I need some coffee

Listening: Thank You for Sending Me an Angel

 

So, I'm back from Canada.  The new skis were great in the soft snow.  I was widestancing more than I should have, but I guess that's bound to happen if you only ski six days per year.  The hiking was very slow going, especially for the first two days, but not agonizing at all (except for the rubbing from my boots).  So I can say that, while I could have gone harder and would have benefitted from doing so, the exercise was an incredible help and enabled me to enjoy much more of the skiing than I would have otherwise. 

 

I got incredibly sick the last two days I was there.  I'm still trying to determine what the cause was.  N does not heat his house, but that may have had only a psychological effect.  I drank a lot of alcohol, and I went to the hot springs with infected holes in my feet.  The hot springs were amazing, by the way - I did six cold plunges!  BM hangs out in the cold until the gasp reflex stops, which I will try next time I'm near a plunge pool.  I read somewhere else yesterday that some guy who is 100 attributes his longevity to cold showers, and that he stays in to a count of 100, but then I pussed out in the shower this morning.  Still feeling slightly sick.

 

Despite so feeling, I did a climb of the full building yesterday in 10:29.  I was pushing semi-hard on the pace and was pretty winded by the top.  It took me I think 4:11 to walk to the bottom from 23, so I could do two or more 30' laps next time. 

A Hard Effort

Eating:  almonds, just had an apple

Drinking:  water - delicious

Listening:  Seldin, honkyoku

 

HIT portion:

OHP 70# 9

Pulldown 150# 10

 

Cardio:

3 x 7' climb, 3' walking rest; 3.8, 3.8, 3.7

 

What a great workout.  I had a bowl of matcha before and I don't think that hurt.  I also had maybe more carbs than I usually do today, a bowl of cereal for breakfast (still standard, alas) and ramen (with extra wontons) for lunch.  Actually what I think is making the biggest difference is that I meditated this morning, as well as last night.  I am not going to achieve the falling away of body and mind meditating for ten minutes twice per day, but it sure does help me focus.  Way less clockwatching than usual on the treadmill.  I am also pretty jazzed because I had my first shakuhachi lesson yesterday.  On some level I probably knew that not being able to reliably produce any sound at all after a week is normal, but it was encouraging to hear that from an expert, and good to know that the track I am on (continued plugging away) is the right one.  Honkyoku is starting to really get a grip on me, and I get excited thinking about having that kind of control. 

 

I also registered yesterday for the Rockefeller Center stair climb, March 1.  66 floors.  It's nice because I'll have something to sustain my post trip momentum.