The Past 3 Days

Thursday:
1 hour of walking in my body armor and Ab Class.

Friday:
Day off. Just felt like taking one. . . . usually, it's Sunday.

Today, I made up for Friday but cut out walking in my body armor.
30-minutes on the elliptical trainer at level 10.

Ab Class.

Pistols: Managed to do a complete one in each set, then BWTx11x2 (descent only)

V-handle Pulldowns: 90x12x2

Split Good Mornings: 115x12x2. One set for each leg.

Incline Bar Pushups: BWTx12x2

DB Preacher Curls: 20x12x2

Hammer Calf Press: 200x12x2

DB External Rotations: 10x12x2

Intervals on a Treadmill (1.5 Degree incline): 2 intervals of 1.5 minutes at 8.2 MPH and 1.5 minutes at 3.0 MPH.

Week 5 done, 11 more to go.

TBT Week 5 Workout 2

Straight after dinner:

Dynamic Warm-up Phase (@ means reps each side):
Walked 3 laps around the field
Reverse 90/90 Stretch
Quad Stretch
Combination Hamstring/Calf Stretch
Forward Lunge, Elbow to Instep
Leg Cradle
Jumping Jacks
Seal Jumping Jacks
Jog One Lap Around the Field
Shoulder Complex
Inchworm
Glute Bridge (Marching)
Front Skips 100 yards
Backpedal to starting position
Drop Lunge (6@)
Sideways Running: 20 yards down and back
Stationary Leg Swings (10 reps, front to back)
Stationary Leg Swings (10 reps, side to side)
60% Sprint (arm& posture focus)(20 yards down and back)
Squat Jumps (10)
75% Build Up Sprint (Knee Drive)(20 Yards Down and back)

Ground Based Mobility:
Scorpions (8@)
Iron Cross (8@)
Inverted Hamstring (8@)
Rollovers into V-Sits (10)
Birddogs (10@)
Fire Hydrant Circles (10@, forward and backward)
Mountain Climbers (10@)

Showed up at the gym, sweaty and pumped. Took off my shoes, jumped on the scale and weighed in at 225 lbs. I think my dietary changes plus the addition of the intervals have pushed me past my plateau. Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Reverse Deficit DB Lunges (Total Weight Shown): 90x8x2

Hammer ISO Rows (Lats, Elbows In, Weight per movement arm): Worked up to 115x3, then did 90x8x2

DB RDL (Total Weight): 150x8x2

DB Incline Laterals: 10x8x2

DB Preacher Curls: 25x8x2

DB Extensions (Tates): 25x8x2

DB External Rotations: 15x8x2

Intervals on a Treadmill (1.5 Degree incline): 2 intervals of 1.5 minutes at 8.2 MPH and 1.5 minutes at 3.0 MPH. Yes, I still had enough left for those - - - that's why I cut one or two sprints from the warmup. Weight upon leaving the gym was 223 lbs. Yes, I drank a few bottles of water to put it back - - - but it was nice to see.

Why Sandstorms Can Be A Great Thing

I was at a meeting while this thing was brewing in Djibouti. When I came out at about 5:15 PM it looked strangely foggy, then I figured it had been a sandstorm - - - my roommate later confirmed this. So my 80 minute walk with the body armor on found me looking like a bandit with my mouth and nose covered but with the sun blocked, the temperature was a lot cooler.

TBT: Week 5

Started dropping the 1-2 Gatorades a day thing. My weight is plateaued at 226 and this I'm sure is not helping. I drink more than enough water and I'm pretty sure I get enough salt from the food. Don't need more carbohydrates.

Did Ab Class for 30 minutes. Considering it's a lot of repetitions/static/twisting work, my abs are still adjusting to the workload. But I'm not sore in the hip flexors, so the adjusting plus after-workout stretching and mobility work is helping too.

Step Ups: 2x18@BWT

45-degree Hyper: 4x10@BWT. 10 is about the most reps I could do with this.

One Leg RDL: 2x18@BWT. In actuality, it's an inverse hamstring stretch as seen in the Core Performance book.

One Arm Neutral DB Press: 2x18@25 lbs

DB Preacher Curls: 2x18@15

Hammer Calf Press: 2x18@165 lbs

DB External Rotations: 2x18@8 lbs

Intervals on a Treadmill (1.5 Degree incline): 2 intervals of 1.5 minutes at 8.2 MPH and 1.5 minutes at 3.0 MPH. To gradually improve my endurance as well as to push the fat loss along, I am cutting 30 seconds a week from the walking and adding it to my running. Hard but doable, and at only 2 intervals it doesn't leave me for dead. After the 4th week, I'll add an interval and start anew at 1 minute running.

Mobility work and static stretching finished me up.

Last 2 Days

Thursday, I did the Ab Class here on base. So for 30 minutes, I let someone torture me into turning my abs to mush - - - it was like boot camp all over again! Didn't get to do the vest walking because I had last minute stuff at work I had to do and didn't leave at 5PM like I normally do.

Friday:

Woke up at 9:30, slathered on the sunscreen, put on my boonie hat and walked on mostly gravel for 75 minutes with my vest on. With nothing in my gut, this walk was taking it out of me. On the way down, I checked the thermometer and the temperature (humidity and all accounted for) read 121.8 degrees. I'm sure that was taking it out of me, too. You know how they tell people to have at least 8 glasses of water a day? That's just about how much water I drink when I walk.

In the evening, I joined one of my co-workers for a step aerobics class. Yeah, yeah - - - laugh all you want!!! Only 4 people showed up, including the instructor. No, I don't have video!!!! But I'll admit, as uncoordinated as I was in the beginning, it was 30+ minutes well spent. I got my heart rate up and broke a solid sweat. A perfect warmup for my light weight day. So, week 4 is done and there's 12 more to go.

Step Ups (Bench): 3x15@BWT

Hammert ISO Rows (Lats): 3x15@65 lbs each arm

DB RDL: 3x15@100 (50 in each hand)

Pushups: 3x15@BWT (done at a gradual cadence)

DB Preacher Curls: 3x15@15

Hammer Calf Press: 3x15@165

Intervals on a Treadmill (1.5 Degree incline): 2 intervals of 1 minute at 8.2 MPH and 2 minutes at 3.0 MPH.

Ende Neu

BTW, I'm the guy on the left. This was taken at U.S. Navy Individual Augmentee Combat Training (NIACT) at Fort Jackson, South Carolina in February.

I got the blog title from an album from one of my favorite bands, Einsturzende Neubauten. It means "ending new."

I'm currently on a trial separation from my wife, and I'm thousands of miles away from just about everything and everyone I know. It doesn't matter if we told each other that the playing field is even until I get back and we decide where to go from there. My life is pretty much a mess. Except for work, because in the military, in this place, I had better have my head together. And in the gym, where I always focus my energies on the task ahead: a number, a weight, a sign that the last rep is at least one last push away.

I think on Monday's workout, I pushed too hard. Then I walked in the vest for about an hour and 15 minutes on Tuesday in blistering heat. Then add the other stresses. I felt really edgy and drained. I kept trying to find excuses to just not work out.

I have a mission in all of this. I may just give the December 9th Virtual Meet a shot and get my thousand pound total. The other goal is to do so at 206 lbs: I'm about twenty pounds away from that.

So I dragged myself into the gym, because I don't need more delays. And for me, it's also the one place where I can focus on just one thing. Everything else stays at the door.

My legs and glutes were sore all over (the lunge max and heavy DB deads on Monday saw to that), so I was trying to dodge doing the Pistols (Descent only). So I did the Hammer ISO High Rows for 4 sets of 85 first, instead of that. The 4 sets of 8 of pistols were a grind but once it was over, the rest was Ok. I was almost too leasurely about the workout, but that was fine because I was really relaxed and content. After that:

DB Shoulder Presses (Weights is per dumbbell): 4x8@45 lbs

GHR: 30 reps (sets of 8, 7, 6, 5, 4 reps)

DB Preacher Curls: 4x8@25 lbs

DB Extensions (Tates): 4x8@25 lbs

Intervals on a Treadmill (1.5 Degree incline): 2 intervals of 1 minute at 8.2 MPH and 2 minutes at 3.0 MPH.

I'm not gonna turn this into a personal blog but I just had to put it out there. Because while I'm not always gung ho going into a gym, it's always important for reasons that go beyond pure numbers or strength. And that keeps my head screwed on straight!

It Has Arrived!!!

The heat I have been getting told about has finally arrived. Holy shit, it's like taking a deep breath of nothing. Right now (11:28PM, 08MAY05) it is about 81 degrees, with a heat factor that makes it fell like 95.

Weight yesterday morning, shorts and shirt with no shoes: 226. A day off and some more food always does the trick.

Early yesterday afternoon, I did the dynamic warmup and mobility and change of direction drills. I did about 2/3 of it and had to stop, because I felt the lactic acid burn in my chest, I couldn't catch my breath no matter how long I waited. It was so sticky! So I got into the shade, drank 4 bottles of water, and hit the showers. Probably didn't help that I was doing this on the Astroturf on the soccer field, which radiates about 20 more degrees than the surrounding temperature.

Today, since it was even worse, I took the dynamic warmup indoors and shortened it, no sprints. Better idea. Since I hadn't done weights in a week, I was gonna make my last heavy day of this eight week cycle special. Then, afterwards, I started to do the interval stuff on the treadmill a la Afterburn.

DB Deficit Reverse Lunges (weight is each dumbbell): 25x5, 35x5, 45x5, 55x5, 60x1

V-Handle Pulldowns: 75x5, 90x5, 105x5, 120x5, 135x2

DB Deadlifts (weight is each dumbbell): 60x5, 70x5, 80x5, 95x5, 100x3

Incline DB Bench (weight is each dumbbell): 35x5, 45x5, 55x5, 65x5, 75x0

DB Preacher Curls: 15x5, 20x5, 25x5, 30x5, 35x1

Hammer Calf Presses: 200x5, 220x5, 240x5, 260x5, 290x5

Intervals on a Treadmill (1.5 Degree incline): 2 intervals of 1 minute at 8.0 MPH and 2 minutes at 3.0 MPH. I'm doing 4 weeks of this just to get prepped. No rush.

230 No More

This week, I haven't lifted much. Maybe the stress from personal issues zapped my motivation a bit. But since I didn't want to catch up by lifting 4 days in a row, I at least walked with my body armor for an hour plus everyday since Wednesday. Today, I went to the gym in the morning and with just the tee-shirt and uniform pants on, I finally dipped below 230 lbs.

Mind you, I've done this before. This is the first time doing so without resorting to a sauna, or not eating the day before or over-aerobicizing. For me, it's a great sign. Between the weighted vest walking and the weightlifting, I still seem to be maintaining muscle but my waist is starting to get smaller. Now, I just need to schedule out everything. The long energy systems work at the beginning of the weight lifting workouts didn't kill my workouts, but it didn't leave much for recovery.

The only thing I lifted after Monday was a cold 1RM pull of 220 total pounds in the dumbbell deadlift (2 DBs of 110 lbs each) . That's 80 total lbs more than I did on April 13th. Part of that increase was learning the skill, the other was adaptation, the other was the one leg work. I have 13 weeks before this phase is over and I can begin WSFSB III. But it doesn't take a genius to figure out what my goal at the end will be. One is 220 lbs bodyweight. The other? The biggest dumbbells in the gym are 140 lbs, and I'll wear the body armor to get the rest;)

Last 2 Days

Sunday, I did what I usually do for a warmup with some shoulder work, extra mobility stuff, suicides, and a jog around the field thrown into the mix. My flexibility is getting better and my knee pain is gone. My shoulders are really feeling good, too. And a good side benefit is that my weight has begun to drop even steadier. I'm now weighing in at 232 lbs in the evening even after dinner, so 220s should come in about another week. All without tricks. After that, I played my Sunday volleyball games.

Today, was the end of TBT week 3, 13 weeks to go.
Bench Step Ups: 3x15@BWT
Hammer ISO Row (Elbows in Close)(each arm): 3x15@60 lbs
DB RDL (Total Weight): 3x15@90 lbs
Pushups: 3x18@BWT
DB Preacher Curls: 3x15@15 lbs
Hammer Calf Press: 3x15@160 lbs

TBT Week 3, Session two

I didn't work out at all Wednesday or Thursday, and my diet could have been better (far from a bender but definitely not too sensible.). Today, my reward for that was showing up two pounds lighter in the afternoon than last week. Maybe aside from the new warmup or this routine, this was what I needed.

Warmup

One Leg Sit to bench: 4 sets of 8 (both legs) with bodyweight

Hammer ISO High Rows: 4x8@80 lbs each arm

GHR: 28 reps (sets of 8, 6, 6, 4, 4 reps)

DB Shoulder Presses: 4x8@45 lbs each DB

DB Preacher Curls: 4x8@20 pounds

DB Extensions (Tates): 4x8@20 pounds

Volleyball games for a cool down

TBT Week 3 Day 1

Warmup was different today. Got my care package from home with my copy of Core Performance Endurance, so I tried out some new things when I warmed up. Made the warmup longer but it left me feeling really loose and raring to go.

DB Reverse Lunges (weight is each dumbbell): 35x5, 40x5, 45x5, 50x4

V-Handle Pulldowns: worked up to a 135 lbs single

DB Deadlifts (weight is each dumbbell): 4x5@90 lbs. I'm improving really well with this lift. Maybe because of the single leg work, too: I don't have to rock a little to start the first rep anymore and I'm lifting more weight.

Incline DB Bench: worked up to 4 reps with 75 pounders.

DB Preacher Curls: worked up to a 30 lbs triple.

Single Calf Raises: 6 sets of 5

Because of the warmup, didn't have much left to do the elliptical at the end. So I walked around for twenty minutes.

Walking and Volleyball

Walked with the body armor on for 75 minutes this morning, and was reminded by the sunburn on my shoulders why I need sunscreen here in Africa. Ouch!!!

Then I played volleyball in the evening.

Making Up is Not Always The Best Part

Should have done the weighted vest walking yesterday. But I felt like doing nothing. Ok, I drank some beer and played Nintendo Wii Sports with the office. No guilt here.

So, to make up for it, here was todays workout:

Warmup
Walked with the body armor for an hour
Played some volleyball for another hour
Step Ups (armor on): 2x15@BWT+32 lbs
Wide Grip Pulldowns: 70x15x2
Single Leg RDL: 2x15@BWT
Pushups: 2x15@BWT
Calf Raises: 2x15@BWT
DB Extensions (Tate's): 2x15@15
Walked back to the CLU (Container Living Unit)

TBT Modified: Week 2

The Warmup (Until I write otherwise):
Body squats x 10
Jumping jacks x 15
Seal jumping jacks x 15
Front skips — 20 yards down & back
Stationary side lunge x 8 each leg
Side shuffle, 20 yds. down & back
Stationary leg swings (front & back) x 10 each leg
Stationary leg swings (side to side) x 10 ea. leg
60% Build-up sprint (arm & posture focus) — 30 yds. down and back
Lunge walk x 10 steps down and back
Backpedal x 20 yds. down and back
Squat jumps x 5
75% Build-up sprint — (knee drive focus) — 40 yds. down and back. I did all of this at the soccer field before walking to the gym for the workout. A lot harder than doing 15 minutes on the elliptical for a warmup but more effective. While I'm not trying to do anything intense for aerobics right now, this may help.

The Workout:
One Leg Sit to Bench (Pistols): 3x8@BWT
Incline Laterals: 6x8@10
DB RDL: 3x8@140 (70 pounds in each arm)
Incline Pause Pushups w/Pushup Bars: 3x8@BWT
DB Curls: 3x8@25
Assisted Dips: 3x8@117 (120 lbs of assist)

15 minutes cooldown (Elliptical) and mobility work

The Last Couple-A Days

Yesterday:
15Minutes on the elliptical plus the Parisi Warmup.
Reverse DB Deficit Lunges: worked up to 70 (35x2) for 5 reps, then 2 more sets
Hammer ISO High Rows: 90x5x3
DB Deadlifts: Worked up to 170x5 (85 in each arm).
DB Push Press: 55x5x3
DB Hammer Curls: 35x5x3
Hammer Calf Press:290x5x3
20 minutes on the elliptical to finish


Today:
1 hour walk with the body armor on.

Easy Like Sunday Morning

Just about everyone today had the day off. Not sure why, I don't read as much official e-mail as I should, I guess.

So, I woke up at 2:30PM (12+ hours of sleep), got my PT gear on, then my body armor, then my sunglasses. Then I stepped outside. It was nice and quiet, with a good sea breeze. I walked for an hour at a good pace, on sidewalk, gravel, and 3 laps around the soccer field (artificial turf). After that I took a shower and shaved and brushed my teeth and when I got back to the room, I felt so blissfully tired and relaxed that I almost took a nap. Then on to dinner. That was my PT for the Day.

BTW, here's my weight workouts from last week. Since I don't like backblogging, I'll keep it simple:

Monday:
Reverse DB Deficit Lunges (Basically, front foot is elevated): worked up to 50 (25x2) for 5 reps.
Hammer ISO High Rows: Worked up to 100x1 per movement arm, then 90x5 back off.
DB Deadlifts: Worked up to 140x5 (70 in each arm).
DB Push Press: 50x5x3
DB Hammer Curls: 35x5x3
Hammer Calf Press:290x5x3

Wednesday:
One Leg Sit to Bench (Pistols): 3 sets of 8 with bodyweight
DB Upright Rows: 20x8x3
DB RDL: 120x8x3 (60 pounds in each arm)
Incline Pause Pushups w/Pushup Bars: BWTx8x3
DB Curls: 25x8x3
Assisted Dips: 3 sets of 8 with 120 lbs of assist

Friday:
Step Ups: BWTx15x2
Wide Grip Pulldowns: 60x15x2
Single Leg RDL: BWTx15x2
Pushups: BWTx15x2 (gradual cadence, medium grip)
Calf Raises: BWTx15x2
DB Extensions (Tate's): 15x15x2

Each session begins with 15 minutes of elliptical, then the Parisi Warmup, then 20 minutes on the elliptical to finish. Except Friday: warmup was 4 games of volleyball. So week one is done, 15 more to go.

Back in The Habit

It's been a bit hard to get in a habit of working out here in Djibouti. Not because of the heat. Mostly, it's a lack of motivation (I'm even getting emotionally adjusted now being away from my wife and child). Last week, it was injuries. The day after walking around for an hour with my body armor on, I was doing jump training and a jump that I had made the week before, I missed and skinned my left shin. After that, I just decided to squat and since I hadn't done so in a long time, I pulled muscles on the inside of both thighs. Day after that, I was playing basketball when I tried to stop on a dime at full speed and I pulled both calves, then a glute later on. Some would say that I'm getting old. But after much thought, I thought that I've never been a big stretching person. And I've never put in the amount or regularity of mobility work that I should.

Three articles really got me thinking. One was Eric Cressey suggesting 3 days of single leg work a week for 2 months. Another was Cardiovascular System Training Principles, Part 2 by Joel Jamieson on the Elite FTS site. Another was an article on Sports Illustrated about how the Phoenix Suns are fixing up Shaquille O'Neill (I think the Suns have the most injury free team in the NBA).

Then this week, I started Chad Waterbury's Total Body Training but substituted the single leg work for the squats, dumbbell work for barbell work. I'm doing the body armor walking sometimes but have found myself playing a lot of volleyball at night and some basketball. Aerobically, I've been keeping it low intensity. And I've started to do the Parisi Warmups every time I go to the gym. Probably after 2-4 months of this, aside from being in pretty good shape, I'll start to slowly ramp things up. The single leg work is humbling, especially the pistols - - - I can't squat up, and going down is hard. The DB Deadlifts were a real eye opener: 70 lbs dumbbells for 5 reps, and my core was tiring out right when my glutes and low back were. Give me a few weeks and I'll say if this workout is effective. But so far, I don't feel really beat up and I'm having fun with the volleyball habit. Don't know how this will affect my lifts but right now, that's not on my mind.

Stay Tuned.

RE Upper Body

DB Shoulder Press: 30x12x4

Wide Grip Lat Pulldowns: 60x12x4

Rear Delt Machine: 50x10x4

Lying Incline Laterals: 8x9x4

Db Shrugs: 45x10x3
Hammer Curls: 20x10x3

Hex Holds w/25 lbs DB: 3 15- second holds

DE Lower Body

Box Jump: 8 sets of 3. Really, it was jumping onto a section of wall outside that was 6-7 inches above the knees. Really got my blood pumping.

Step Ups: 3 sets of 10 to a bench that was at knee level.

ProMaxima GHR: 1 set of 6, 1 set of 5. That was all I could do. This machine did not have anywhere the feel of my EliteFTS GHR at home, but it will do. The early leg work left me little for anything else.

Leg Raises: 4 sets of 4

Incline Situps: 4 sets of 15, 12, 11, 10 reps

ME Upper Body

Hammer ISO Shoulder Press: Worked up to a 65 lbs 5RM, then did one back-off set of 55 lbs for 5 reps.

Pec Deck: 70x12x3

Hammer ISO Super Incline Press: 45x12x3

Hammer ISO Row: Worked up to a 100 lbs 4RM

Rear Delt Machine: 45x15x3

Trap Bar Shrugs: 144x8x3

Hammer Preacher Curl Machine: 45x9x3

I'm trying to follow the WSFSB III template. Since it's a small gym, I can't really superset anything.