Training Day 20121227

Another view of my new gym

In Gates of Fire, Pressfield writes: “Nothing fires the warrior’s heart more with courage than to find himself and his comrades at the point of annihilation, at the brink of being routed and overrun, and then to dredge not merely from one’s own bowels or guts but from one’s discipline and training the presence of mind not to panic, not to yield to the possession of despair, but instead to complete those homely acts of order which Dienekes had ever declared the supreme accomplishment of the warrior: to perform the commonplace under far-from-commonplace conditions.”  The reason I bring up this quote is because I found myself screaming profanities due to the cold on the walk to the gym from my apartment as I was dressed in shorts and a hoodie.  I realized how soft I've gotten the last few years, might as well call me Kleenex 'cause I'm softer than tissue haha.  Anyway, the quote reminds me that the point of enduring training sessions, exposing yourself to the elements, and stepping outside of your comfort zone is primarily about building mental toughness.  Strength and all those physical capabilities are the bonuses that come with training, but the mentality to keep pressing forward no matter the circumstance is the true reward.

With that said, I haven't taken a rest day in a few days, so I took it down a notch this session.  Tomorrow, I'll take a full rest day yet will still be active as I roam New York City, taking pictures... weather permitting.  Though mainly by myself, it's been a really good vacation so far to step back, have this time to think and prioritize my life.

PART I.
OH Presses
5/65#, 5/75#, 3/95#, 5/115#, 3/135#, 1+/145# (I hit 5/145#)

PART II.
EMOM For 6mins
5 Power Cleans @ 105#, then

500m slow, recovery row (I completed at 2mins 23sec)

PART III.
Cleans & Jerks
5/75#, 5/95#, 3/115#, 5/140#, 3/155#, 1+/175# (I hit 2/175#)

PART IV.
For Time
Row 200m
2 Pistols each leg
Row 200m
1 pistol each leg
Row 200m

I finished in 3min 6 sec

PART V.
I cashed out with:
15 T2B
20 Airsquats

Couplet
Calf Raises- 25/135#, 25/135#, 25/135#, 25/155#
10 Dumbbell Thrusters - 20# each hand

AMAP KB Swings @ 70#

Notes
- I know that after vacation, I'm going to have to drastically shorten the workouts and consider more frequent two-a-days if I want to squeeze in a lot of things.
- PART I: Although I knocked out 5/145#, according to strength standards, my 1RM decreased by 4# haha! Ugh!  I should've went for 6 or 7 haha.
- PART II: Loving the EMOM work.  The more I do it, the more I feel like I'm getting better at the movements I incorporate EMOM with.
- PART III: According to strength standards, my 1RM should increase by 10#.  I'll take that!
- PART IV: I went out too fast on my first 200m, so luckily I only programmed low reps of pistols haha.  I could barely feel my legs after this.
- PART V: T2B and Air Squats felt smooth.  It also was nice to do calf raises with a loaded barbell.  I also haven't attempted 70# at KB Swings in awhile and will need to work with that weight more!  I ended up doing 11.

I didn't end up going out last night, so my roommate, a couple of friends, & me are probably going to hit up Brother Jimmy's BBQ for happy hour and perhaps watch the Rusell Athletic Bowl... go RU!

Training Day 20121226

RWJ Fitness & Wellness - New Brunswick

The thing that stinks about belonging to a gym that just opened up is that sometimes your friends/regular training partners may still belong to your old gym... meaning, you have to workout alone until they switch or until you find new, reliable training partners.  I like having benchmarks and people to motivate me, so fortunately for me, although not ideal, my cousin (as I've mentioned in my previous post) has decided to follow my programming and compare results long distance.  Haha, hopefully he's not cheating, because it is a disadvantage to post my times first.  Anyway, I was a little hungover (not an excuse), but once I started deadlifting, my body responded well I think... we'll just have to see if my efforts were good enough to beat Geoff haha.  Definitely check out Geoff's blog, his setup is way better than mine haha (I'm pretty jelly).

PART I.
Deadlifts
5/155#, 5/185#, 3/225#, 5/275#, 3/315#, 1+/350# (I did 2 and according to strength standards, my 1RM went up from 370# to 388#... I definitely thought 2 would be piss poor and was beating myself up that I couldn't get 3- it bothered me the rest of the session haha)

PART II.
For Time
11 Power Snatches @ 65#
50 Single Unders
11 KB Swings @ 30#
50 meter shuttle run
3 Bar Facing Burpees

8 Power Snatches @ 65#
50 Single Unders
8 KB Swings @ 30#
50 meter shuttle run
4 Bar Facing Burpees

5 Power Snatches @ 65#
50 Single Unders
5 KB Swings @ 30#
50 meter shuttle run
5 Bar Facing Burpees

I finished in 6mins 16sec.  I should've used the roller to stretch out my lower back a bit before I did this metcon, oh well.  The snatches smoked me and my legs felt like jello!

PART III.
OH (Overhead) Squat
5/65#, 5/70#, 3/85#, 5/105#, 3/120#, 1+/135# (I ended up doing 4, pretty stoked about that)

PART IV.
3 Rounds
Row 250 meters
15 HRPU (Hand-Release Push-ups)

I finished in 4mins 15sec.  Surprisingly, I went unbroken... wish my row was better, but I'll take it.

PART V.
I cashed out with:
15 GHD Sit-ups
10 Weighted Sit-ups w/35# plate
AMAP Hammer Strength Abdominal Machine @ 60#
Tricep Rope Extension Drop Set: 5/70-60-50-40-30# (25 reps total)

Notes
- PART I: Like I said, would've like to get 3/350#, but just as long as I'm progressing, I'll take it.
- PART II: Was pretty surprised the 65# power snatches smoked me.  I would like to incorporate more EMOM work so I get more efficient at the Olympic Lifts.
- PART III: After the first met-con, I honestly was not in the mood to do 5/3/1 OH Squats haha.  I'm glad I pushed through and hit 4/135#.  Can't wait to see what that plugs into for the strength standards calculator (for front squats and oh squats, I plug the numbers into the "squats" section haha).
- PART IV: Was smoked, my thighs were on fire, but it was good.  Got the blood flowing.
- PART V: I ended up doing 17 for the AMAP.  I think I fell in love with that machine... Also, tricep extensions... yeah, I know I've incorporated a couple bodybuilding exercises the last couple of days... but, whatev haha.
- I know I put a lot on my plate for today.  With my vacation days slipping by, just feel like I have to sneak everything in before I go back to work in a week!  Can you blame me for maximizing my playground time?

Not sure if I'm going out tonight... my roommate has off tomorrow so he may want to go out, but 12+ hours as an ER resident can make a man tired.  And if I do go out tonight, I definitely earned it!  Will let you know in the morning.

Last Night...

Antonio is back from Cali!  Sunny is also in the background.

So I went to the Ale 'N 'Wich Pub for the first time last night with a few of my friends... And I ended up going a little harder than I expected haha.  I was pretty surprised with the bar and think that I'll be frequenting it more than my usual watering holes in New Brunswick.  We got to watch Jamal Crawford play out of his mind against the Nuggets and we also received gifts from a random Santa Claus.  I wish I took pictures of this, but some guy was dressed up and handing out wrapped presents, ranging from adult magazines to framed pinup girls.  I don't know how he can afford to do stuff like that in today's economy or perhaps he robbed an adult entertainment store?  All in all, the holiday specials at Ale 'N 'Wich were pretty good and the bar definitely warrants a revisit and my recommendation to friends.  Lastly, we ended up making a boo boo by getting fat sandwiches at the Grease Trucks and playing pool at my apartment until 3/4ish... ugh.

Courtesy of The Wine Chateau in Piscataway

This morning I woke up 4 hours later than I usually do and had a headache haha.  I immediately went into survival mode, ran to the kitchen, pounded some water, and scarfed down some lasagna.  I managed to run some errands- drop off dry cleaning, bought some chalk for the weights, and picked up some spirits for the "snowstorm" or impending writer's block this evening... I've been working on the great American Novel for the last decade or so and obviously haven't finished it.

I'm about to supp-up and knock out some deadlifts at the gym.  My cousin, Geoff out in Arizona, and I are comparing times for the workouts.  A decent way to stay competitive and motivated.  He just started a blog as well, so check him out.

Be back in a bit.