MacFhearchair's off-season anti-slack

[MacFhearchair]

Tracking here at XMTS per the suggestion of Alan H.

Current goal is just to get to the gym on Mon, Weds and Fri every week and do squats, deads, and bench presses and do some random ab exercises. I'll probably do a combination of lower weights/higher reps and testing/pushing my one-rep max. I do better with flexibility in the in-gym routine, and zero flexibility about the gym-going routine.

I started on Monday by familiarizing myself with proper technique (again) and getting some starting numbers. Below is what I've got so far.

Squat: I can do 95 pretty indefinitely. I start feeling real limitations at 135. My 1-rep is unknown
Bench Press: I can do 7 40-lb dumbbell presses (80 lbs total load) without a break. I can do a higher weight with a barbell (~120). My 1 rep is unknown for either.
Deadlift: ~135-150 is a good number for doing multiple lifts. 185 is a 1-rep max after some abuse (so possibly higher)

Toe-touching ab exercises (hanging or laying down and leg/torso lifting) - I can do about 5 before I really start feeling it. I'm down for the count after 10 or 12. These numbers are terrible.

Kettlebell swings - I can do a set of 25 @ 25lbs before I start feeling like I might fall over. I would like to be able to do a set of 75 without issue.

Ideally I will stick with this routine and also get a little bit of interstitial throwing practice in on occasional Tu/Th/Weekends.



Halloween was a flop due to candy-distribution duties (and severe delayed onset muscle soreness). :P Back at it tomorrow!!

[Martin Roy]

Good luck, MacF. Go for it.

[LitTrog]

Fantastical!

Some advice for next Halloween: children lusting after candy make wonderful and willing workout implements--curls and squats especially. You can even practice throwing on the rude ones.

[o1d_dude]

Kettlebell swings are great for the Highland Games.

Do them in sets of 25 meaning you can do three sets of 25 and get your 75 reps in. When the 25 reps no longer makes you see the White Buffalo, do 30 reps in each set.

I've been having fun with something called "Waiter Walks". Hoist the kettlebell overhead to one hand and walk for distance. Just like a waiter carrying a tray overhead with one hand. When you can go no further, switch hands and walk back. It's a good idea to start out with your non-dominant hand and finish up with the dominant hand. Now when someone asks where your core is, you will know exactly where it is.

As to using fixed days of the week, understand that Real Life[tm] despises plans and schedules. It sees your schedule and says "Challenge accepted!" Better to think of your workout schedule as "lift days" and "recovery days" with a lift day followed by a recovery day or two. If Real Life gets in the way of a lift day, bonus. You just got an extra recovery day and will lift the following day.

If you're not up to working out with your full load on a planned work day, lighten the load but still get the sets and reps in. It pays off in the long run.

I highly recommend the book "Starting Strength" by Mark Rippetoe (Kindle $9.99 and well worth it) for beginning weight lifters. The author goes into great detail explaining how to do the lifts, what parts of your body are involved, the mechanics and physics, and how to correct your technique errors. I've been lifting for almost 50 years and I still learned quite a bit from reading this book. Fixed my squat, it did.

[MacFhearchair]

Good luck, MacF. Go for it.

Thanks!

Fantastical!

Some advice for next Halloween: children lusting after candy make wonderful and willing workout implements--curls and squats especially. You can even practice throwing on the rude ones.

LOL!

I highly recommend the book "Starting Strength" by Mark Rippetoe (Kindle $9.99 and well worth it) for beginning weight lifters. The author goes into great detail explaining how to do the lifts, what parts of your body are involved, the mechanics and physics, and how to correct your technique errors. I've been lifting for almost 50 years and I still learned quite a bit from reading this book. Fixed my squat, it did.

Thanks - this is actually where I'm getting all my instruction on technique at present. So far it's solid and helpful, but until I get to the gym and try the stuff out with an unloaded bar, it just doesn't become part of me, and so far I haven't practiced enough to truly absorb the forms and do them without having to think. ... so every time I quit for a while I come back feeling like I have to start from scratch.

As far as real life and schedules, I'm versatile. I'll make it work or I'll adapt.

[Alan H]

YAAAAAYYY!...

Wow, we have what...six people logging, now? Hot damn.

[Geoff Withnell]

Alan, I'm going to start logging as soon as these sprained bicep attachments heal. I was setting up for vertical leg presses with a bunch of weight, and a weld on the frame broke.
caught about 300 lbs with my right forearm, and my bicep didn't care for it one little bit. Right now my trainer is limiting me to 12 oz curls! ;)

YAAAAAYYY!...

Wow, we have what...six people logging, now? Hot damn.

[MacFhearchair]

Friday I made it back to the gym as planned.

I was a lot weaker; possibly due to muscle soreness sustained from Monday's work out. I did squats, deads, and bench presses but I don't actually remember any of my numbers, and I kept getting dizzy after dead lifts. I'm breathing right and I'm focusing on proper form. *shrug* I hadn't eaten a lot on Monday (I go through periods of higher and lower food interest and I try to give my body what it wants most of the time) so that could definitely be part of it.

I did 25 KB swings @ 25# and some ab-torture in the form of alternating cross-crunches, hanging leg lifts, jack-knife style sit ups, and head stands. I had a TON of energy, but it felt more ballistic, like I wanted to run an obstacle course instead of weight lifting.

I plan to go back tomorrow and do some climbing and a couple quick sets of lifts.

I found a dirt/wood chip field near my house that could potentially serve as a nice place to practice throwin'. I have a suitable practice stone and a LWD weight. I have a fork that needs to be prepped, and I need a sheaf, but I could theoretically start practicing that soon, too.

It occurs to me I could grab a 30lb kettlebell and use that as a WOB practice weight. It's only 2lbs too heavy, right? Hmmm...

[LitTrog]

It occurs to me I could grab a 30lb kettlebell and use that as a WOB practice weight. It's only 2lbs too heavy, right? Hmmm...

Before I cobbled together my "official" practice weights >snicker, chuckle< I used a kettlebell close to 42 lbs. for WOB practice. Gopher it.

I have the same kind of appetite--I can usually tell if I'm getting the right amount/kinds of food by what my little body tells me. I try to eat about 6 times a day unless I'm not feeling hungry every couple hours. If I'm really busting my tail, I'm hungry ALL the time and try to keep the engine fueled. I've kept a very consistent weight and body comp. for several years just by doing that--although right now I'm forcing more food just to push my weight up a bit. Feels weird. You following your appetite sounds like a good thing to me!

[Alan H]

Friday I made it back to the gym as planned.

I was a lot weaker; possibly due to muscle soreness sustained from Monday's work out. I did squats, deads, and bench presses but I don't actually remember any of my numbers, and I kept getting dizzy after dead lifts. I'm breathing right and I'm focusing on proper form. *shrug* I hadn't eaten a lot on Monday (I go through periods of higher and lower food interest and I try to give my body what it wants most of the time) so that could definitely be part of it.

I did 25 KB swings @ 25# and some ab-torture in the form of alternating cross-crunches, hanging leg lifts, jack-knife style sit ups, and head stands. I had a TON of energy, but it felt more ballistic, like I wanted to run an obstacle course instead of weight lifting.

I plan to go back tomorrow and do some climbing and a couple quick sets of lifts.

I found a dirt/wood chip field near my house that could potentially serve as a nice place to practice throwin'. I have a suitable practice stone and a LWD weight. I have a fork that needs to be prepped, and I need a sheaf, but I could theoretically start practicing that soon, too.

It occurs to me I could grab a 30lb kettlebell and use that as a WOB practice weight. It's only 2lbs too heavy, right? Hmmm...

I've pulled all the other cabers off, but "your" caber is still out at the field. It may be joined in a few weeks by the VERY cut-down, Cardinal Caber. That thing will feel very much like the caber you had at Ventura...short but very heavy. It used to be 16 feet, it's now 11 feet, as I cut off the cracked part. I'll get some fiberglass tape around the big end and leave it out there this winter for you to bust a gut with.