Sinner picks stuff up.... and then puts it back down.

Took yesterday off. I had just been feeling drained these past few days and needed a good day of being sedentary.

Today was a weights - track combo.

In the gym:

Squats superset with t-bar rows.

Upright rows. Did 3 sets of these bad boys.

Rack pulls. Did a few singles at 365. One at 385 and one at 405.

Hammer strength incline press superset with dumbbell curls

overhead triceps extensions superset with lat pulldowns

cable crunches superset with side laterals

At the track:

Ran a mile.

~20 minutes worth of sledgehammer drills

40 burpees

Last night was a track workout. Don't quite remember the deets. I was sidetracked by the first NHL pre-season games. Jaromir Jagr is returning after a hiatus, playing in Europe.

Today was weights followed by a jog.

Upright rows

front squats superset with t-bar rows

weighted dips

dumbbell military press

overhead triceps extensions superset with cable crunches

pullups

After the workout, I decided to go to the local metroparks instead of the usual route. I figured trees and scenery would be a nice break from broken glass and homeless people. It was for a while, but the park was a lot bigger than I thought it was. As a result, I ran for a good 30 minutes and then spent another 30 running around, trying to find my car.

Great stuff sinner! Just wondering what your weight is and are you keeping steady or you aiming to increase or decrease it?

I'm sitting in the upper 160's / low 170's range right now. It seems a bit light for me, but I suppose we'll see how it pans out. I have nothing that I really need to be a specific weight for, so it hasn't really been something I've really dwelled on.

In a little bit, I'm going to be starting a new job. I'm not sure where that's going to take me, either. I think at this point in my life, if I can maintain being somewhat athletic, I'll be happy.

Checking in Sinman

Now you have my attention. Upper teens, you must be from the US of A. I inline speed skate on a similar trail here in Victoria B.C. , an old hilly railroad track that's been paved over for the most part. I can cruise at 30kmh or 20mph. My top clock speed is 43kmh sustained over two kilometers.

Actually you caught my attention right away with your workout style. It sounded like me then I read you inline skateand it got a little scary. We appear to some common interests when it comes to working out. I still have a lot of your log to read, so I have to go. Stay strong and live long!

Hey guys,

I'm thinking it's time for this log to rise from the grave, to attain past glory (or just eat some brains). Does that make it a zombie log?

As of late, I've been hitting the weights with an upper lower split. I'm doing upper body 3x per week, lower body 2x per week, and then I'm playing hockey 2x per week. I'll usually do the main workout in the morning and if I have time after work, I'll do a bonus workout. Workouts are fairly extemporaneous. I walk in knowing which muscle groups I'm gonna show some lovin', but that's about it. So here's my workouts from yesterday and today.

1/18 Legs Workout:
Squats - 3 sets

Walking Lunges - 2 sets - I've been really getting into these lately. My main focus is to go for distance instead of weight. I just grab the bar, crank up the tunes, and go until the pump gets so intense that it hurts.

The "Strider" (for lack of a better term) - 2 sets - It's a training machine meant to emulate a sled pull.

Cable crunches - 3 sets

Kettlebell swings (after getting home) - 2 sets

Bonus workout:
5 sets of kettlebell swings with crunches and planks.

1/19 Upper Body Workout:
Weighted Dips - 3 sets

T-bar rows superset with the Ground Base Jammer - 3 supersets - "Ground Base Jammer" (what Hammer Strength actuall calls this machine) is the Hammer Strength Chest Press machine without the seat. You have to support the weight with your footing/stability muscles.... and it's right next to the t-bar row.

Modified Ahren's Press superset with side lateral raises - 3 sets - Ahren's press is esoteric as hell. It's basically a shoulder press where you press outward, instead of up. I've modified this. After pressing out, pull the weights upward (arms extended) until the touch at the top. On the downward phase, I try to exploit how low I can go (arms almost parallel to the floor) before bringing them in. Once back, I bring the elbows in (like Arnold Presses) and repeat.

Close Grip Lat-Pulldowns - 3 sets

Triceps Rope Pushdowns - 2 sets

Dragon Flags - 2 sets

Crunches - 2 sets

Love the workout, Want to share some brains don't hog them

Last night I done played some hockey. I hadn't played in over a week, and totally needed my "H" fix.

This morning was upper body. I woke up and said "I need to the triceps some love".

Hammer Strength Triceps dips superset with dumbbell curls - 4 supersets - THe hammerstrength machine gives me better isolation than weighted dips (which I mainly feel in my chest muscles).

Modified Ahrens Press: 3 sets

Cable Rows superset with pullups (pause and hold at halfway point). - 2 sets

Bench Press - 3 sets

Jump rope for a few minutes + [insert exercise here]
-Lat pulldown - 2 sets
-Cable crunches - 2 sets
-Machine chest press - 1 set

Dragon Flags - 2 sets

Bonus Round:
Jump rope for a few minutes + ~5 aztec pushups - 6 sets
cable crunches - 2 sets
T-bar rows - 2 sets

So workout updates for the past couple days. I've been on a jumping rope kick as of late. My theory is that muscles (holding ATP), work in the absence of oxygen. Starting a set while I'm gasping for breath, after jumping rope, exhausts the 'back-up' energy sources, to provide muscular exhaustion. It's a fun spin on the concept of "pre-exhaustion". I like having fun more than I actually care finding out whether or not it actually works.

1-24: Legs
Walking Lunges - 2 sets
Jump rope for a few minutes.
Reverse Back Extensions superset with cable crunches - 2 supersets - Reverse back extensions are an odd machine. The machine looks sorta like the one in the link, except a bit more robust-looking: http://www.pro-elite.com/details.as...9&Text=NewProductImages/29.html&txtHeight=100
Jump rope for a few more minutes.
Kettlebell swing - 3 sets


1-25: Upper Body
Dumbbell Bench Press - 2 sets
Arnold Press superset withseated dumbbell curls - 2 supersets
T-bar rows - 3 sets
Jump rope superset with lat pulldowns - 2 sets
Jump rope (multi's) superset with cable crunches - 2 sets
Triceps rope pushdowns - 4 sets

1/26/2012

Morning: 5 sets of kettlebell swings. Was running late in the morning. Wanted to get some work done before work, but not enough time for the "real" workout.

Evening: The "real" workout.

Started with a long lap of walking lunges to get the blood flowing, with just the bar.

Jump rope superset with Safety Squats - 3 sets. I took it as an omen that the squat machine was right next the area in which I jump rope. Not particularly liking this machine at the moment, but we'll see. My biggest issue was that the load compresses the padding on the shoulder bar, so when I set the parallel point and go under the load.... it's 1-2 inches higher.

"Real" Squats - 3 sets. I decided I had enough of that stupid machine and went with the old bread'n'butter. I like the sensation of the maximum torque when you hit parallel.

cable crunches - 2 sets

Here's some updates from the past few days.

1/29
Pick-up hockey. Skating for 2 hours is always a good workout.

1/30

Weighted Dips - 3 sets

Dumbbell shoulder press superset with dumbbell curls - 2 supersets.

Cable rows superset with pullups (post-exhaust) - 2 superset

Jump Rope then Lat Pulldowns - 3 supersets

Side Lateral raises superset with burpees - 2 supersets

Jump rope then crunches - 2 supersets

1/31

Squats - 2 sets.

Walking Lunges - 2 sets.

Jump rope then safety squats - 2 supersets - I kept my knees somewhat straight and focussed more at bending at the hips to put the load on the hams/glutes.

Stretch Break!

Jump rope superset with cable crunches - 2 sets

kettlebell swings - 3 sets

I'm planning on doing a "bonus round" of jumping rope after this post.

Tomorrow is upper body. I was also asked to play in a league hockey game. Hopefully I'll have the energy after work tomorrow.

2-1-2012

Incline Bench press - 2 sets
Ahrens press superset with dumbbell curls - 3 sets
T-bar rows superset with GBJ's - 3 sets
Hammer Strength Triceps dips - 2 sets
Jump Rope superset with Lat Pulldowns - 3 sets
Jump rope superset with cable crunches - 2 sets
Side lateral raises - 2 sets

After this, I'm leaving to go play in a hockey game. Gonna be fun. Hopefully my legs hold up.

alright, so I've been forgetting to post updates. Instead of boring you with like 2 weeks worth of workouts, we'll just go back to Sunday.

2/12/2012
Drop-in Hockey
After hockey I did 5 sets of kettlebell swings. (1 set is usually about 10-20 reps)

2/13/2012
Hammer Strength Dips superset with barbell curls - 3 supersets
Jump Rope → Aztec Pushups → Lat Pulldowns - 3 giant sets
Cable rows - 2 sets
Ahrens Press - 3 sets
Jump Rope → cable crunches - 2 supersets
Bench Press - 3 sets

Bonus Round:
Jump rope, doing 3-5 aztec's for every time I break momentum. ~15 minutes
Cable crunches - 3 sets
Dumbbell curls - 2 sets
Jump rope doing [core exercise*] every time I break momentum. ~10 minutes

*I don't have a cool name for this guy. Get in a pushup position, with the arms locked out. Touch your knee to your nearest elbow, then reach across (with your knee) and touch your knee to your far elbow. Do about 10-15 reps per knee.

Happy Valentine's day.

Today's leg workout was light because I am going to play hockey in a little bit.

Deadlifts - 2 sets

Jump Rope → safety squats - 4 sets

Cable Crunches - 3 sets

Walking Lunges - 1 set

Damn man, thanks for making me feel like a little girl.

Hello all. I think this log is overdue for rising from the dead. Zombie style.

Now for some updates. Training has been going well. Picking up heavy objects, putting them back down, and playing as much hockey as I can find.

After a bet with a co-worker, I am not only hosting but competing in a "pump and run" later in the year. For those who don't know what a "pump and run" is, it's a 5K race where you get a few seconds taken off your race time for every time you can bench press your weight. Why a pump and run? Because I'd get my ass kicked if it were normal 5K

I am planning to step up my roadwork on the weekends, once the weather normalizes a bit. I've also entered in a few charity events to help force me to... ya know... run.

This morning's workout was upper body. I've been training upper body MWF, lower body TR, hockey and other fun stuff on the weekends. I've been using some "advanced technique" I randomly challenged myself to, for increasing my bench press. It's not so great for increasing strength, but if you want to increase the number of reps you can perform with a specific weight... it's been working phenomenally. Basically it is just one giant set of multiple rest-pause. I've been calling it "the gauntlet" in my workout notebook because it's rather rough. Todays workout, feeling bold, every set was one of these forementioned "gauntlets". The pumps were amazing.

Bench Press
Cable Rows
Arnold Press
Jump Rope superset with Aztec pushups (about 5 sets) - this was clearly not a "gauntlet" set
Cable crunches
Triceps rope pushdowns
Dumbbell curls
Side Lateral raises

I'm sucking at the updates. My apologies.

4/26 - Legs

I didn't have a lot of time in the AM. I did 6 sets of ~15 kettlebell swings with 'the hoss' (homemade 125lbs kettlebell). I went back and did some things after work.

Walking lunges - 2x
Jump rope → Safety Squats - 3x
Low Pulley Glute/Hip kickbacks. - 3x - These are so a chick exercise, but whatever. You attach a little velcro strap to the low pulley, wrap around your ankle, and just try to pull that leg back as far as it can go. My philosophy is that the majority of the power generation needed to run, jump, squat or skate comes from these muscle groups that control the motion of the femur. The quads, which connect the femur to the tibia and fibula are just for support. /rant

4/27 - Upper Body in the AM, hockey in the PM.

I started out with weighted dips. In focus of this damn pump'n'run, I've been doing nothing but bench press and I'm sick of it already. I kept with the "gauntlet" style of set for these.
Next was another gauntlet with the hammer strength high rows machine.
Jump rope superset with lat-pulldowns
jump rope superset with cable crunches
And a gauntlet set of side lateral raises.

Hockey was kind of blah this week. I ended up having a good skate but the talent level wasn't there, which can sometimes take away from the enjoyment of the sport.

4/28 - Weekend funtime

As part of a new year's resolution, I have been trying to attend a workout class when I have the chance. It's been tough since I've been out of town a lot. I take this Les Mills CX Worx class, that they hold at the gym. It's 30 minutes, later in the morning (hockey is over usually around 12:15am, so I need some time to recover!) and focusses on the core/stabilizer muscles. It incorporates some use of exercise bands. It's nice and intense. I usually work up a decent sweat with their workouts. Some of the movements are tough for a person who is at least somewhat athletic (such as myself) and therefore very entertaining to watch some of the people who also occasionally attend. The instructors know me as the person who uses the hardest-pull bands and occasionally breaks them.

I finished that workout with 20 minutes of jump rope. Went to work. Synthesized some crazy awesome magnetic stuff, was really excited and went for a second workout in celebration, just jumping rope and doing some core work. It was rainy (and apparently snowed for a little bit) on saturday, which made me think of a good excuse not to go running. I did step on the scale though, and noticed that I've gained some weight. I think it's the good weight, as my clothes have been feeling tighter in the shoulders and arms. I guess it will all depend on whether or not I plan to play lacrosse this summer, as to whether or not this is a good thing. For lacrosse, I'd like to be 180-185lbs (which is where I sit right now). For the races I am planning on attending, I'd like to be more towards the 170-175lbs range.