Alan H's 2012-2013 OFF-season log

[o1d_dude]

Box jumps, anyone?

Jumping up is fine but jumping down not so much.

Boxes are best used for step ups if you ask me.

[Alan H]

I'm stretching and foam rolling every night. In fact, I'm gonna go get a cup of coffee and while they make it, I will stretch hams and quads on the stair railing!

Marty, that's the plan for the next couple of weeks. But I can still go for major pump action in the shoulders and *especially* biceps. 'cause you know.......

[Alan H]

Box jumps, anyone?

Jumping up is fine but jumping down not so much.

Boxes are best used for step ups if you ask me.

i NEVER jump down from the 2 foot box....always up. So the sequence looks like this, done AFAP.

box #1 - 6 inches tall, about 24" x 24"....box #2 is about 12 inches tall, 24" x 24" ..... box #3 is 24 inches tall. Hmmm...maybe it's 18 inches tall. still 24" x 24" ....the boxes are set up in a line, with about 2 feet between each box.

-standing, about a foot in front of box #1
-jump up to 6 inch box, box #1
-easy hop down to the floor, into floor space between box #1 and #2
- jump up onto 12 inch box, box #2
--easy hop down to the floor, into floor space between box #2 and #3
-jump up onto 24 (18??) inch box... box #3
--huff and puff, step down to floor and walk back to starting position.

repeat until sweat rolls into my eyes and I can't see what I'm doing!

[LitTrog]

Be careful.

I don't know nuthin' about nuthin', but even I'm thinking this. Easier to let things rest this early in the off-season than have it exacerbated and nag you for the next year. Or worse...

[Alan H]

I don't know nuthin' about nuthin', but even I'm thinking this. Easier to let things rest this early in the off-season than have it exacerbated and nag you for the next year. Or worse...

It's interesting. There's a guy who posts on all the Highland Games forums who's really strong. He's just going to go Pro. I'll leave his name out of it, but his general theory is, if it hurts, but you didn't tear it, work it harder. He throws 3x a week and lifts 3x a week or more. His deadlift is probably 650+. He's a hell of an athlete, and he's very dedicated.

He's also 26 years old and from what I can see, does nothing but throw, lift, post online, and father children. He must have a job, I guess. OK, well...now he's also giving throwing clinics, which would probably be pretty good, as he's learned a lot over the past couple of years. However, any hint of needing to back off to prevent damage elicits questions and (usually) heavily judgemental comments from him. This is what I refer to when I talk about the "testosterone poisoning" on NASGA. His take on it would be that he's dedicated, we're not, and we can all just slack off and be the second and third rate athletes that we are, and if we're fine with being useless specimens of humanity, well...then.

My take on it is that I want to work hard, but throwing is only one of several things that I do for fun in my life. Also, I'm 55 years old and if I screw up a knee ligament or compress a disk and have to have back surgery, I don't have the elasticity of a 26-year old to heal up again. A significant injury at this point can result in me being compromised for the rest of my life. I'm not willing to risk that for the possible reward of throwing a 28 pound weight, three feet further than I threw it last year. Even the non-serious issues can become big nuisances. They may not prevent me from throwing but nagging me next year may cut into my distances, and also impact the "fun factor".

Fortunately, here on X Marks the gang is not nearly as testosterone-poisoned.....or uh..'scuse me. "Dedicated".

I just stretched on the railing in the stairwell. Feels marginally better. I'll do that some more this afternoon.

[Martin Roy]

My take on it is that I want to work hard, but throwing is only one of several things that I do for fun in my life. Also, I'm 55 years old and if I screw up a knee ligament or compress a disk and have to have back surgery, I don't have the elasticity of a 26-year old to heal up again. A significant injury at this point can result in me being compromised for the rest of my life. I'm not willing to risk that for the possible reward of throwing a 28 pound weight, three feet further than I threw it last year. Even the non-serious issues can become big nuisances. They may not prevent me from throwing but nagging me next year may cut into my distances, and also impact the "fun factor".

This ++

[LitTrog]

My take on it is that I want to work hard, but throwing is only one of several things that I do for fun in my life. Also, I'm 55 years old and if I screw up a knee ligament or compress a disk and have to have back surgery, I don't have the elasticity of a 26-year old to heal up again. A significant injury at this point can result in me being compromised for the rest of my life. I'm not willing to risk that for the possible reward of throwing a 28 pound weight, three feet further than I threw it last year. Even the non-serious issues can become big nuisances. They may not prevent me from throwing but nagging me next year may cut into my distances, and also impact the "fun factor".
.

Shoot. I'm about 17 years younger than you and I have the same wussy attitude. The realities of aging hit me about 4 years ago, and I try to be smarter.

Glad to see you're a smart wuss, too.

[Alan H]

Shoot. I'm about 17 years younger than you and I have the same wussy attitude. The realities of aging hit me about 4 years ago, and I try to be smarter.

Glad to see you're a smart wuss, too.

Us wuss Lebowki's need to stick together.

And in other news....knee is happier today. Much stretching yesterday, riding my bike in, time, and 600 mg of Advil seem to be helping. It's gym day, today, though with a 1:00 meeting for work and Help Hour and a 6:00 concert I'm not sure how I'm going to do it. There will be no deadlifting today, and rather more time spent on the stationary bicycle.

[Alan H]

Todays' "Bro" workout is in honor of Mr. Duncan McCallum, and also, my lower back.

Big Stretch - foam roll bigtime my butt
stretch cage
strict overhead press ... 3 x 6 x 135 / tried for 6 more, got 4, pushed 'em *fast*
pull-ups ....incredibly pathetic with a 100 pound assist -- 4,3,2,1
sit-ups .....x15, not my day today
upright rows ... 3 x 6 x 80
curlz because someday I want to have gunz like A
lexandra Duncan
.... 3 x 6 x 80
windmills .... 3 x 6 x 25
pec deck ... Bro to the max ... 6, 6, 5 @ 195 "on the stack"
leg lifts, captains chair over a stanchion .... 10, 7 ..sad, just sad
More Stretch. and there is yet MORE stretch in my immediate future.

Kel suggests that I have a classic case of muscle imbalance (probably true) and prescribes 4x a day stretching. Probably this is a good idea and I'm doing it, but then I was doing it before I read his FB post.

[Martin Roy]

Where's the imbalance; quad vs. hams??