"A strong body makes the mind strong. As to the species of exercises, I advise the gun. While this gives moderate exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprise and independence to the mind. Games played with the ball, and others of that nature, are too violent for the body and stamp no character on the mind. Let your gun therefore be your constant companion of your walks."
-- Thomas Jefferson, letter to Peter Carr, August 19, 1785
Showing posts with label Athletics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Athletics. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Great minds on golf…
This may be the first of a series, which might get expanded at erratic times in the future… Enjoy! And feel free to add on.
Karl Marx: "Golf is a sport for those unaware of their political position in history."
Adam Smith: "Golf is a sport for those well aware of their economic position in history."
Thomas Malthus: "In so far as the number of golf holes increases in an arithmetic progression, while the number of balls on the green increases in a geometric progression, golfing, left unchecked, inevitably leads to a shortage of whisky at the club while the players wait for the staff to clear the green."
Sigmund Freud: "Balls, holes, drives, handicaps, poking around in the bush––what more do I need to say?"
Ludwig Wittgenstein: "My work may be likened to a golf tee that one must leave behind once one drives the ball of logic beyond the bewitchment of language."
Bertrand Russell: "'He got a hole in one means' that, for some x, where x is 'one golf ball', it is the case that there is a y, where y is 'a hole', which cannot be referred to without referring to x and y in the same location and time. And that is why I am not a Christian!"
Jean-Paul Sartre: "Hell is other players."
David Hume: "It is merely due to the force of habit that we associate in our minds the impressions a swinging club with the flight of a golf ball. 'Tis a claim so far-fetched in notion, and so obscurely founded on empirical records, that golf clubs have the causal power to move balls anywhere outside of Scotland, that it should be committed to the flames."
Thomas Hobbes: "The life of a golfer is solitary, affluent, pallid, impish, and short, golf being green in shoe and glove."
Plato: "The only lasting city is that headed by a Philosopher-Golfer."
Aristotle: "There is an unmoved Driver which is the principle of motion in the sphere of Mobile Golfball."
René Descartes: "I think I golf, therefore I am."
Georg Friedrich Hegel: "The Absolute Spirit manifests itself in a dual motion throughout history, thus giving shape to the Dialectical principles of Mediated Consciousness, namely, from a first Thesis in the highlands of Scotland, voiced as 'Fore!', which, by its own inner, Notional Immanence, generates an Antithesis of Saturated Commodification, and thus returns at a higher, Sublimated level to a Synthesis in which a black American is the king of the green in England."
Immanuel Kant: "The synthetic unity of apperception is a necessary postulate of reason, otherwise how on earth could anyone hit such a small ball so far with such a long club?"
Karl Marx: "Golf is a sport for those unaware of their political position in history."
Adam Smith: "Golf is a sport for those well aware of their economic position in history."
Thomas Malthus: "In so far as the number of golf holes increases in an arithmetic progression, while the number of balls on the green increases in a geometric progression, golfing, left unchecked, inevitably leads to a shortage of whisky at the club while the players wait for the staff to clear the green."
Sigmund Freud: "Balls, holes, drives, handicaps, poking around in the bush––what more do I need to say?"
Ludwig Wittgenstein: "My work may be likened to a golf tee that one must leave behind once one drives the ball of logic beyond the bewitchment of language."
Bertrand Russell: "'He got a hole in one means' that, for some x, where x is 'one golf ball', it is the case that there is a y, where y is 'a hole', which cannot be referred to without referring to x and y in the same location and time. And that is why I am not a Christian!"
Jean-Paul Sartre: "Hell is other players."
David Hume: "It is merely due to the force of habit that we associate in our minds the impressions a swinging club with the flight of a golf ball. 'Tis a claim so far-fetched in notion, and so obscurely founded on empirical records, that golf clubs have the causal power to move balls anywhere outside of Scotland, that it should be committed to the flames."
Thomas Hobbes: "The life of a golfer is solitary, affluent, pallid, impish, and short, golf being green in shoe and glove."
Plato: "The only lasting city is that headed by a Philosopher-Golfer."
Aristotle: "There is an unmoved Driver which is the principle of motion in the sphere of Mobile Golfball."
René Descartes: "I think I golf, therefore I am."
Georg Friedrich Hegel: "The Absolute Spirit manifests itself in a dual motion throughout history, thus giving shape to the Dialectical principles of Mediated Consciousness, namely, from a first Thesis in the highlands of Scotland, voiced as 'Fore!', which, by its own inner, Notional Immanence, generates an Antithesis of Saturated Commodification, and thus returns at a higher, Sublimated level to a Synthesis in which a black American is the king of the green in England."
Immanuel Kant: "The synthetic unity of apperception is a necessary postulate of reason, otherwise how on earth could anyone hit such a small ball so far with such a long club?"
Labels:
Athletics,
Funny and Random,
Humor,
Philosophy
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Gym regimen - September 2010
10 September, 2010 (W)
Ur-Workout: 50-60 mins
90kg, BMI 25
0. Warmup: Stretching, leg extensions, leg curls, lat pulldowns, bench press
1. Bench press: 12, 10, 8, 6 @ 60–80kg
2. Pullups: 13, 15, 16*
[I used wrist straps for my second and third set. My right forearm has been really sore lately, partially due to the pronation involved in curls, partially due to the habit of resting my forearm on the table when I read, and partially just due to, um, all the bobdybuilding I've been doing the last three months. The 16th rep on the 3rd set used a big kip/negative.]
2a. Lever bench row: ø
3. EZ Bar military press: 10, 8, 6 @ 35-55kg
4. Barbell curl: 10, 8, 6 @ 35–45kg
[Very high and tight form on these, though I did feel more tired than on Wednesday. Awesome pump on my 3rd set. It's definitely Friday, time for a full weekend off.]
5. Elbows-out extension: 10, 8, 6 @ 18–22kg (per hand)
6. Decline leg press: 16, 13, 11* @ 160kg, 170kg, 185kg
[I could have gone a good bit heavier on these. The 11th rep of the 3rd set was a bottoms-up press: I lowered the plate all the way to the bottom and pressed up from negative. A deep dig on that one!]
7. Stiff-leg deadlifts: 12, 10, 8 @ 55–70kg
8. Standing calf raise: ø
+++
I'll be joining in for the annual Sun Moon Lake swim this Sunday. 27,300 people swimming across the lake. It will be a nice full-body workout, but I will be taking it nice and slow. Get myself limber. I've been doing my Ur-Workout for a month now and the results are satisfying. I will be taking next week easy, mostly to give my forearms some time to recover, but also so that my body is refreshed to go to a slightly higher level with the Ur-Workout. I see no reason--and have little time--to go on a 4-day routine until I feel the Ur-Workout isn't getting me anywhere, which should not happen for another few months. Rest is actually a much larger part of strength training than most people realize. I'm looking into it!
UPDATE:
Thursday was the first time in weeks I have been able to do jumping jacks! I only did 60, but it shows my foot is getting much better. It was an off-day so at home I did dumbbell shrugs, standing Russian twists, oblique leans, and alternating rowing crunches. For the Russian twists I hold some weight at my throat/chest and twist from side to side with a dip in the legs each time. I've explained the oblique leans before, but I noticed they only feel effective with a fairly large weight, or at a very high number of reps. I've been doing rowing crunches since I was 13. I alternate in a set between, say, 10 straight reps and then 10 reps from side to side. Here's a demo video, but I've never been trained to do them on a bench, nor to hold onto anything. In crew, we did them on the ground and kept our hands crossed at our chest, or at least hovering by our hips. Having the hands at your chest really adds a nice touch to the alternating reps.
Now that my foot is on the mend, I can get back to my successful career as a diamond thief. The Russians got the better of me last time, but I should be ready for another job in the next few weeks. Hey, a switchblade in the foot will slow anybody down.
I've also finally decided that Inception is simply not a great film. It's a great series of gimmicks and high-intensity close-ups glued together with far too much clichéd existentialist, Jungian, Freudian, meta-narrative allegorisation. I don't regret that I saw it five times, since seeing it each time involved hanging out with friends.
Stay tuned.
Ur-Workout: 50-60 mins
90kg, BMI 25
0. Warmup: Stretching, leg extensions, leg curls, lat pulldowns, bench press
1. Bench press: 12, 10, 8, 6 @ 60–80kg
2. Pullups: 13, 15, 16*
[I used wrist straps for my second and third set. My right forearm has been really sore lately, partially due to the pronation involved in curls, partially due to the habit of resting my forearm on the table when I read, and partially just due to, um, all the bobdybuilding I've been doing the last three months. The 16th rep on the 3rd set used a big kip/negative.]
2a. Lever bench row: ø
3. EZ Bar military press: 10, 8, 6 @ 35-55kg
4. Barbell curl: 10, 8, 6 @ 35–45kg
[Very high and tight form on these, though I did feel more tired than on Wednesday. Awesome pump on my 3rd set. It's definitely Friday, time for a full weekend off.]
5. Elbows-out extension: 10, 8, 6 @ 18–22kg (per hand)
6. Decline leg press: 16, 13, 11* @ 160kg, 170kg, 185kg
[I could have gone a good bit heavier on these. The 11th rep of the 3rd set was a bottoms-up press: I lowered the plate all the way to the bottom and pressed up from negative. A deep dig on that one!]
7. Stiff-leg deadlifts: 12, 10, 8 @ 55–70kg
8. Standing calf raise: ø
I'll be joining in for the annual Sun Moon Lake swim this Sunday. 27,300 people swimming across the lake. It will be a nice full-body workout, but I will be taking it nice and slow. Get myself limber. I've been doing my Ur-Workout for a month now and the results are satisfying. I will be taking next week easy, mostly to give my forearms some time to recover, but also so that my body is refreshed to go to a slightly higher level with the Ur-Workout. I see no reason--and have little time--to go on a 4-day routine until I feel the Ur-Workout isn't getting me anywhere, which should not happen for another few months. Rest is actually a much larger part of strength training than most people realize. I'm looking into it!
UPDATE:
Thursday was the first time in weeks I have been able to do jumping jacks! I only did 60, but it shows my foot is getting much better. It was an off-day so at home I did dumbbell shrugs, standing Russian twists, oblique leans, and alternating rowing crunches. For the Russian twists I hold some weight at my throat/chest and twist from side to side with a dip in the legs each time. I've explained the oblique leans before, but I noticed they only feel effective with a fairly large weight, or at a very high number of reps. I've been doing rowing crunches since I was 13. I alternate in a set between, say, 10 straight reps and then 10 reps from side to side. Here's a demo video, but I've never been trained to do them on a bench, nor to hold onto anything. In crew, we did them on the ground and kept our hands crossed at our chest, or at least hovering by our hips. Having the hands at your chest really adds a nice touch to the alternating reps.
Now that my foot is on the mend, I can get back to my successful career as a diamond thief. The Russians got the better of me last time, but I should be ready for another job in the next few weeks. Hey, a switchblade in the foot will slow anybody down.
I've also finally decided that Inception is simply not a great film. It's a great series of gimmicks and high-intensity close-ups glued together with far too much clichéd existentialist, Jungian, Freudian, meta-narrative allegorisation. I don't regret that I saw it five times, since seeing it each time involved hanging out with friends.
Stay tuned.
Labels:
Athletics,
Bodybuilding,
Funny and Random,
Memoirs and Friends,
Movies
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Gym regimen - September 2010
8 September, 2010 (W)
Ur-Workout: 50-60 mins
91kg, BMI 25.5
0. Warmup: Stretching, leg extensions, leg curls, lat pulldowns, bench press
1. Bench press: 12, 10, 8, 6 @ 60–77.5kg
[Arched my back and tucked my scapulae.]
2. Cable pulldowns: 12, 10, 8 @ 50kg, 65kg, 75kg
[I love how I could feel these work the whole length of my lats. I could have done 80kg my last set but treated this workout as a semi-recovery day.]
2a. Lever bench row: ø
3. EZ Bar military press: 10, 8, 6 @ 35-55kg
[This was a fortuitous gain in weight. I was a bit hazy on my last set, so I made the bar 55kg instead of 50kg, which I only realized when I put the bar down. Hoorah!]
4. Barbell curl: 10, 8, 6 @ 35–45kg
[Very tight form on these and I didn't feel tired like last workout. I curled higher, up to my chin for the one-count squeeze.]
5. Elbows-out extension: 10, 8, 6 @ 14–20kg (per hand)
6. Decline leg press: 15, 12, 10 @ 140kg, 155kg, 170kg
7. Stiff-leg deadlifts: 12, 10, 10 @ 50–65kg
[I was cautious with these, since I haven't done them since late July. It's great to feel my hamstrings sore today. I was getting much stronger on the leg curl machine, but these deadlifts are a superior exercise.]
8. Standing calf raise: ø
+++
I'm trying to keep the workout short, so I will do abs on at least two off-days. I had a close call on the bench but I'm okay. It was so muggy. I'm annoyed the free weight room is so open to blinding sunlight. And it has no fans!! Yesterday was just "one of those days." A near-injury at the gym, arriving late to a tutee, getting caught in heavy rain just as I left the tutee to go teach at a cram school, and then getting a complete flat on the way home.
On the upside, I have been dreaming more lately. The dream journal seems to be helping. Full-time classes begin next week and tomorrow morning I have a meeting at the school in question, so, boys and girls, summer is completely over! Time to get to up early everyday. I did well Tuesday and this morning, so I know I can do it. I'm the type of person who is actually less productive when I have more free time. I need the pressure of a full schedule to motivate me to use my time more efficiently. And I definitely need something to do every morning, otherwise I become a night owl, which is its own curse in disguise.
Stay tuned.
Ur-Workout: 50-60 mins
91kg, BMI 25.5
0. Warmup: Stretching, leg extensions, leg curls, lat pulldowns, bench press
1. Bench press: 12, 10, 8, 6 @ 60–77.5kg
[Arched my back and tucked my scapulae.]
2. Cable pulldowns: 12, 10, 8 @ 50kg, 65kg, 75kg
[I love how I could feel these work the whole length of my lats. I could have done 80kg my last set but treated this workout as a semi-recovery day.]
2a. Lever bench row: ø
3. EZ Bar military press: 10, 8, 6 @ 35-55kg
[This was a fortuitous gain in weight. I was a bit hazy on my last set, so I made the bar 55kg instead of 50kg, which I only realized when I put the bar down. Hoorah!]
4. Barbell curl: 10, 8, 6 @ 35–45kg
[Very tight form on these and I didn't feel tired like last workout. I curled higher, up to my chin for the one-count squeeze.]
5. Elbows-out extension: 10, 8, 6 @ 14–20kg (per hand)
6. Decline leg press: 15, 12, 10 @ 140kg, 155kg, 170kg
7. Stiff-leg deadlifts: 12, 10, 10 @ 50–65kg
[I was cautious with these, since I haven't done them since late July. It's great to feel my hamstrings sore today. I was getting much stronger on the leg curl machine, but these deadlifts are a superior exercise.]
8. Standing calf raise: ø
I'm trying to keep the workout short, so I will do abs on at least two off-days. I had a close call on the bench but I'm okay. It was so muggy. I'm annoyed the free weight room is so open to blinding sunlight. And it has no fans!! Yesterday was just "one of those days." A near-injury at the gym, arriving late to a tutee, getting caught in heavy rain just as I left the tutee to go teach at a cram school, and then getting a complete flat on the way home.
On the upside, I have been dreaming more lately. The dream journal seems to be helping. Full-time classes begin next week and tomorrow morning I have a meeting at the school in question, so, boys and girls, summer is completely over! Time to get to up early everyday. I did well Tuesday and this morning, so I know I can do it. I'm the type of person who is actually less productive when I have more free time. I need the pressure of a full schedule to motivate me to use my time more efficiently. And I definitely need something to do every morning, otherwise I become a night owl, which is its own curse in disguise.
Stay tuned.
Labels:
Athletics,
Bodybuilding,
Dreams,
Memoirs and Friends
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
BB Brainstorming III...
More brainstorming on a three-day routine...
Monday (A), Wednesday (B), Friday/Saturday (A)
Ur-Workout (A)
0. Warmup:
0.1 Stretching & calisthenics
0.2 Leg extensions: 18, 15, 12 @ light warmup weight
0.3 Leg curl: 18, 15, 12 @ light warmup weight
1. Elbows-out tricep extension: 10, 8, 6 @
2. Wide-grip pullup: 13, 14, 15
[Can increase reps over time or add weight.]
3. Bench press: 12, 8, 6 @
[Not too wide a grip. Arch back slightly, not hips. Elbows tucked. Down to the lower pec. Crush the bar.]
4. Standing barbell curl: 10, 8, 6 @
[Forget weight: keep good form. Elbows locked. Crush the bar. Squeeze up to the chin.]
5. Straight-leg deadlift: 12, 8, 6 @
6. Squat: 12, 8, 6 @
[Toes out, back straight, butt down, chin level. Drive from the heels.]
7. Military press: 10, 8, 6 @
[Hips tucked under. Less than shoulder-width grip. Chin level.]
Ur-Workout (B)
0. Warmup:
0.1 Stretching & calisthenics
0.2 Leg extensions: 18, 15, 12 @ light warmup weight
0.3 Leg curl: 18, 15, 12 @ light warmup weight
Bench press: 12, 8, 6 @
Seated dumbbell curl OR Concentration curl: 10, 8, 6 @
[Full rotation cycle. Off-center supination grip.]
Supine French press: 10, 8, 6 @
[EZ bar or dumbbells. Elbows locked and parallel.]
Straight-leg deadlift: 12, 8, 6 @
Squat: 12, 8, 6 @
Bench row/Lever pull: 10, 8, 6 @
[Adjust seat for lats, not traps. Get stretched over the chest cushion. Don't cheat: spear elbows far back.]
Incline bench press: 12, 8, 6 @
[Barbell or dumbbells. Less than shoulder-width grip. Crush the bar. Watch the bar to chin and up.]
Off days:
1. Abs:
Leg drops/lifts OR rowing crunches OR ab-roller OR cable pulldowns OR Russian twists
2. Shrugs
3. Neck bridge
Every 4 weeks, do a week of lower-weight recovery with different exercises. E.g.:
1. Lunges
2. Dumbbell flyes [Keep legs up, elbows slightly bent. Hold at the peak, weights ~10 inches apart.]
3. Chinups
4. Decline leg press
5. Narrow-grip bench press OR 5a. Cable pushdowns
6. One-arm barbell rows
7. Pushups OR 7a. Dips
8. Hammer curls
Ur-Workout (A)
0. Warmup:
0.1 Stretching & calisthenics
0.2 Leg extensions: 18, 15, 12 @ light warmup weight
0.3 Leg curl: 18, 15, 12 @ light warmup weight
1. Elbows-out tricep extension: 10, 8, 6 @
2. Wide-grip pullup: 13, 14, 15
[Can increase reps over time or add weight.]
3. Bench press: 12, 8, 6 @
[Not too wide a grip. Arch back slightly, not hips. Elbows tucked. Down to the lower pec. Crush the bar.]
4. Standing barbell curl: 10, 8, 6 @
[Forget weight: keep good form. Elbows locked. Crush the bar. Squeeze up to the chin.]
5. Straight-leg deadlift: 12, 8, 6 @
6. Squat: 12, 8, 6 @
[Toes out, back straight, butt down, chin level. Drive from the heels.]
7. Military press: 10, 8, 6 @
[Hips tucked under. Less than shoulder-width grip. Chin level.]
Ur-Workout (B)
0. Warmup:
0.1 Stretching & calisthenics
0.2 Leg extensions: 18, 15, 12 @ light warmup weight
0.3 Leg curl: 18, 15, 12 @ light warmup weight
Bench press: 12, 8, 6 @
Seated dumbbell curl OR Concentration curl: 10, 8, 6 @
[Full rotation cycle. Off-center supination grip.]
Supine French press: 10, 8, 6 @
[EZ bar or dumbbells. Elbows locked and parallel.]
Straight-leg deadlift: 12, 8, 6 @
Squat: 12, 8, 6 @
Bench row/Lever pull: 10, 8, 6 @
[Adjust seat for lats, not traps. Get stretched over the chest cushion. Don't cheat: spear elbows far back.]
Incline bench press: 12, 8, 6 @
[Barbell or dumbbells. Less than shoulder-width grip. Crush the bar. Watch the bar to chin and up.]
Off days:
1. Abs:
Leg drops/lifts OR rowing crunches OR ab-roller OR cable pulldowns OR Russian twists
2. Shrugs
3. Neck bridge
1. Lunges
2. Dumbbell flyes [Keep legs up, elbows slightly bent. Hold at the peak, weights ~10 inches apart.]
3. Chinups
4. Decline leg press
5. Narrow-grip bench press OR 5a. Cable pushdowns
6. One-arm barbell rows
7. Pushups OR 7a. Dips
8. Hammer curls
Labels:
Athletics,
Bodybuilding
Monday, September 6, 2010
Gym regimen - September 2010
6 September, 2010 (Mon.)
Ur-Workout: 50-60 mins
91kg, BMI 25.5
0. Warmup: Stretching
1. Bench press: 12, 10, 8, 6 @ 60–80kg
[I was pressed for time so I went for the 80kg that was already on the bar for my last set. It was a good challenge, and the last rep made me "dig deep," but I'm glad I've regained my strength here.]
2. Pullups: 13, 14, 15 @ bodyweight
2a. Lever bench row: ø
3. EZ Barbell military press: 10, 8, 6 @ 30-48kg
[I felt I could have gone heavier, but I wasn't used to using the EZ bar, so maybe next time I'll shoot for 50kg.]
4. Barbell curl: 10, 8, 6 @ 35–45kg
[I was more tired this workout than my last workout, and that general fatigue showed in my curls: had some sloppy form my last set.]
5. Supine French press: 10, 8, 6 @ 30–40kg
[Pretty good form on these. I forgot to do it this time, so I will swap them out for elbows-out tricep extensions next time.]
6. Leg extensions: 18, 15, 12 @ 40-50kg
[I would have used these as a warmup for the decline leg press, but I was pressed for time. I admit I think I need to overcome my subliminal fear of the squat, since I injured my rib with a weight belt weeks ago and then have only gotten over a foot injury. I've been treading water with the leg extensions so maybe Wednesday I'll do the leg press and then Friday or Saturday go for the squat.]
7. Leg curl: 18, 15, 12 @ 30-40kg
8. Standing calf raise: ø
9. Kneeling rope pulldown (20 + 10 obliques): ø
9a. Supine variable leg drops/lifts: 40, 48, 60
9b. Oblique leans [a bucket of water in one hand and leans to the opposite side]: 30X3 (per side)
Cooldown: ø
+++
Ur-Workout: 50-60 mins
91kg, BMI 25.5
0. Warmup: Stretching
1. Bench press: 12, 10, 8, 6 @ 60–80kg
[I was pressed for time so I went for the 80kg that was already on the bar for my last set. It was a good challenge, and the last rep made me "dig deep," but I'm glad I've regained my strength here.]
2. Pullups: 13, 14, 15 @ bodyweight
2a. Lever bench row: ø
3. EZ Barbell military press: 10, 8, 6 @ 30-48kg
[I felt I could have gone heavier, but I wasn't used to using the EZ bar, so maybe next time I'll shoot for 50kg.]
4. Barbell curl: 10, 8, 6 @ 35–45kg
[I was more tired this workout than my last workout, and that general fatigue showed in my curls: had some sloppy form my last set.]
5. Supine French press: 10, 8, 6 @ 30–40kg
[Pretty good form on these. I forgot to do it this time, so I will swap them out for elbows-out tricep extensions next time.]
6. Leg extensions: 18, 15, 12 @ 40-50kg
[I would have used these as a warmup for the decline leg press, but I was pressed for time. I admit I think I need to overcome my subliminal fear of the squat, since I injured my rib with a weight belt weeks ago and then have only gotten over a foot injury. I've been treading water with the leg extensions so maybe Wednesday I'll do the leg press and then Friday or Saturday go for the squat.]
7. Leg curl: 18, 15, 12 @ 30-40kg
8. Standing calf raise: ø
9. Kneeling rope pulldown (20 + 10 obliques): ø
9a. Supine variable leg drops/lifts: 40, 48, 60
9b. Oblique leans [a bucket of water in one hand and leans to the opposite side]: 30X3 (per side)
Cooldown: ø
Interestingly enough, I was 90kg last workout and 91kg today. This may be due to the fact that food was in my system, but that's a negligible variable. Further, from what two guys told me today, I not only look bigger but am clearly stronger. It must be the two salmon fillets I have every few nights. Heh!
Labels:
Athletics,
Bodybuilding,
Memoirs and Friends
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Gym regimen - September 2010
4 September, 2010
Ur-Workout: 60+ mins
90kg, BMI 25
0. Warmup: Stretching
1. Bench press: 12, 10, 8, 6 @ 60–75kg
[I held myself back from putting up too much weight. I'm really serious about giving my chest time to develop and catch up with the rest of my physique. I refuse to be in a rush. Interestingly, since I had to work my tris more the last couple weeks to let my strained left pec recover, I can really feel how much a role my tris and lats play in my bench. From what I have read, this is a very good thing, since most lifters place so much emphasis on a "celebrity chest" (with flyes, chest compressions, exercises with truncated range of motion and high pump, etc.) that they actually fail to develop the elements of a strong bench press. I definitely felt more confident and stronger on the bench. 6 reps at 75kg felt very good.]
2. Pullups: 13, 14, 15 @ bodyweight
[I used wrist straps on my last set.]
2a. Lever bench row: ø
3. Barbell military press: 12, 8, 6 @ 35-45kg
[These felt pretty good. I think I'll shoot for 35kg, 45kg, 50kg next time. I raised the front end of a bench up with some planks of wood, so as to keep my hips more tucked under me and curb that unpleasant bowing of my spine.]
4. Barbell curl: 10, 8, 6 @ 35–45kg
[Felt very good. Getting stronger! Patience, Humility, Confidence…]
5. Supine French press: 10, 8, 6 @ 30–40kg
[Very good form on these. Less intense weight than my previous workout, but I'd rather work my triceps up to real strength slowly with better form than yank my way through a few extra kilograms. I will swap them out for elbows-out tricep extensions next time.]
6. Leg extensions: 18, 15, 12 @ 40kg, 50kg, 55kg
[These just aren't as satisfying as the decline leg press, so I'll go back to that beloved exercise next time. In fact, maybe I should do both by dropping the weight on my leg extensions and moving them to my first exercise as a warmup.]
7. Leg curl: 16, 13, 10 @ 35-45kg
[Felt some strain in my right knee on my second set, so I might drop the weight a bit for these on my next workout.]
8. Standing calf raise: ø
9. Kneeling rope pulldown (20 + 10 obliques): 30, 30, 30 @ 35kg, 40kg, 40kg
[I used wrist straps on my last set, since these were just killing my forearms and thus making me lose good form.]
Cooldown: Ski machine and stretching
+++
I had a long nap this afternoon so, while I was a bit sluggish getting out the door and hadn't had lunch or much of a dinner before working out, I felt good tonight. There were very few people at the gym, which might have been due to the light rain, but is probably more due to the fact it was Saturday night. I make a special effort to workout the same time in the future, since not having to deal with other people makes everything smoother and faster.
Speaking of naps, I had a dream this afternoon. I rarely remember my dreams but lately I've been having dreams more frequently. Despite having seen it three times in the theater, I think part of the reason I can't sink my teeth into Inception, like so many other people seem to be doing, is because I can't get into its depiction of "the dream world." On the one hand, its portrayal of dream consciousness just seems fake to me, too smooth, not erratic or creepy or soothing enough––in a word, all too consciously designed. On the other hand, insofar as the characters are supposed to be professional dreamers––masters of lucid dreaming––, while Inception's depiction of that kind of dreaming may be spot-on, it's a kind of dreaming so far removed from my own experience as to seem boring and phony. I had a friend in high school who got very good at lucid dreaming; once, he told me, he flew to school one night to look for a lost textbook of his and found it in the same spot the next day. Props! As for me, I've only had a couple recurring dreams and my total dream catalogue would probably not amount to more than a few hours of "cutting room floor footage" glued together for people with lots of peyote in their bloodstreams.
DiCaprio was in Shutter Island, which came out six months or so before Inception and Shutter Island had the most stunning and believable depiction of dreams I have ever seen. Scorcese nailed what dreams are like: innocuous objects suddenly loom large, backgrounds shift without warning, disturbing symbolic motifs pop out of nowhere, and such events are nearly always taken in stride. I also recently got sucked into "the Primer universe." Primer is a 2004 independent film, by former software engineer and first-time director Shane Carruth, which not only has received high critical acclaim but is also a cult classic. Carruth made the film for US$7000 in five weeks (!) and only hired one professional actor for it, but it really is one of the best SF films ever made, and certainly a contender for the best "time travel" film in history. It is immensely complex, since by the end of the film, we are trying to navigate multiple non-linear timelines, so I ended up watching Primer three times in a row (whilst intermittently reading online "explanations" of it) one day last week. (Hey, it's only 77 minutes.) Primer deals with dreams only circumstantially––apparently, a certain kind of shared dreaming is an effect of the technology used by the characters––but it added to my recent interest in dreaming as such.
It also dawns on me now that there are some long-standing contributing factors to my perplexed, "bystander's" interest in dreams. For one thing, the opening chapter of my favorite book, Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man, is a dream sequence. Second, one of my all-time favorite films is The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, which, while it focuses on memories, does show how dreams give body to our memories and memories give birth to our dreams. Third, another of my top-favorite films is Blade Runner, which is the film adaptation of Philip K. Dick's novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? And then there's my recent return to Twin Peaks, a TV show that simultaneously intrigued and baffled me as a kid. I believe dreams are very important to David Lynch, since his work is so heavily driven by dreams (for better or worse!). Indeed, Special Agent Cooper's famous dream in "the Red Room" is the (ahem) linchpin to the progress of the series, as he claims he knows who the killer is based on some revelations in the dream which need only be deciphered to crack the case. I suppose it also says something that I've got a "Dreams" category in my blog, which surprised me when I re-realized that fact while writing this post, even though there are only two (now three) posts in that category. I generally find sleep boring since it's unproductive and, more important, I have such a scrawny dreamscape. Yet, dreams seem interesting enough to me that I've made a category for them. Frankly, I wish I enjoyed sleep more, which I think I would if I dreamt more. So….
So I have once again taken up the gauntlet and have begun a dream journal. I've once more taken up trying to read Harary and Weintraub's Lucid Dreams in 30 Days. (Incidentally, this video is a subtly hilarious saga of one man's journey to achieve lucid dreaming in 30 days with the same book!) Keeping a dream journal is one of the core steps in developing higher dream consciousness, since, allegedly, it says to your brain that you are serious about accessing your dreams. Another step is to develop the waking habit of frequently asking (and checking, by various means), "Am I awake right now?" so that, while dreaming, you may reflexively ask the same question and thereby trigger semi-lucid awareness in the dream. Another technique is to write an "A" (for "Awake") on your hand or arm, etc., so that, in the dream, you may recall seeing the "A" and thus wake yourself in the dream. Another technique is to note "dreamlike incidents" during the day, so that you will be more keen at saying to yourself, "This feels like a dream," which may allow you to say the same thing in a dream.
I won't record my recent dreams here, but I do want to record a few dreamlike experiences I've recently had.
1) A few weeks ago at Mass, I was sitting in a pew towards the back of the church. I glanced ahead and seated about twelve pews ahead of me, to my left, was an older woman holding a very large stuffed bear. I couldn't believe my eyes. I visibly squirmed in my seat and stared at her for several moments just to confirm what I was seeing. It was truly unheimlich. (A funny coincidence is that in Lynch's Twin Peaks, there is "the Log Lady," who is also an older woman––remarkably similar in appearance to the woman I saw at Mass––who carries a log with her wherever she goes. I saw "the Bear Lady" weeks before recalling "the Log Lady" by watching clips of Twin Peaks.) It was one of the few times when I could genuinely say, "I feel like I'm in a David Lynch movie." I said that to myself in the Mass, weeks before coming back to Twin Peaks. I saw her again a couple weeks later––with the bear in the crook of her elbow––, so it was not a figment of my imagination. Just that much more unheimlich.
2) A couple nights ago I was sitting talking with someone and there was a pause in the conversation. Suddenly a soft but insistent moaning sound filled the room. It was the tea kettle, in the kitchen, apparently designed to howl gently rather than whistle like conventional teapots. As soon as the sound began, I felt my ears arch back, like a cat's, and my spine stiffened. Again, extremely unheimlich and dreamlike; and again I said to myself, "Am I in a David Lynch movie?"
3) Just this afternoon I was reaching for something on the counter when I accidentally knocked an object into the sink. It gently struck a metal thermos and at the exact same instant my cell phone beeped to alert me to a text message. Certainly it was a trivial and perfectly explicable coincidence, but what made me pause––spine stiffened––was the exact timing and how the tones were in perfect harmony.
The Bible lays a lot of stress on the importance of dreams and in college a friend asked me, "What do you think is the biblical teaching on dreams?" (Apparently, she had a very active dream life and was wondering how to interpret various dreams: from God or just neurological backwash?) I pondered for a moment, trying to devise one of those dense aphorisms I strive for. I said, "Biblically, dreams are either indications of what's going within you or signs of what God is doing around you." That doesn't settle the question of "immanence"––viz., whether a dream is just my subconscious or an actual spiritual disclosure from God––but my point is that that may be a false dichotomy. Biblically, a Christian's entire 'external' life is but a mode of his 'inner' life with God and, more fundamentally, his existence as interiorized in the life of Christ Himself. Hence, if there is anything to the abiding, spiritual, and sacramental bond created between the believer and Christ, what my subconscious is showing me directly bears on what God is showing me, and vice versa.
Here's to praying my aversion to sleep and my scrawny dream life is not a sign of blocking out God or some truths about myself.
Ur-Workout: 60+ mins
90kg, BMI 25
0. Warmup: Stretching
1. Bench press: 12, 10, 8, 6 @ 60–75kg
[I held myself back from putting up too much weight. I'm really serious about giving my chest time to develop and catch up with the rest of my physique. I refuse to be in a rush. Interestingly, since I had to work my tris more the last couple weeks to let my strained left pec recover, I can really feel how much a role my tris and lats play in my bench. From what I have read, this is a very good thing, since most lifters place so much emphasis on a "celebrity chest" (with flyes, chest compressions, exercises with truncated range of motion and high pump, etc.) that they actually fail to develop the elements of a strong bench press. I definitely felt more confident and stronger on the bench. 6 reps at 75kg felt very good.]
2. Pullups: 13, 14, 15 @ bodyweight
[I used wrist straps on my last set.]
2a. Lever bench row: ø
3. Barbell military press: 12, 8, 6 @ 35-45kg
[These felt pretty good. I think I'll shoot for 35kg, 45kg, 50kg next time. I raised the front end of a bench up with some planks of wood, so as to keep my hips more tucked under me and curb that unpleasant bowing of my spine.]
4. Barbell curl: 10, 8, 6 @ 35–45kg
[Felt very good. Getting stronger! Patience, Humility, Confidence…]
5. Supine French press: 10, 8, 6 @ 30–40kg
[Very good form on these. Less intense weight than my previous workout, but I'd rather work my triceps up to real strength slowly with better form than yank my way through a few extra kilograms. I will swap them out for elbows-out tricep extensions next time.]
6. Leg extensions: 18, 15, 12 @ 40kg, 50kg, 55kg
[These just aren't as satisfying as the decline leg press, so I'll go back to that beloved exercise next time. In fact, maybe I should do both by dropping the weight on my leg extensions and moving them to my first exercise as a warmup.]
7. Leg curl: 16, 13, 10 @ 35-45kg
[Felt some strain in my right knee on my second set, so I might drop the weight a bit for these on my next workout.]
8. Standing calf raise: ø
9. Kneeling rope pulldown (20 + 10 obliques): 30, 30, 30 @ 35kg, 40kg, 40kg
[I used wrist straps on my last set, since these were just killing my forearms and thus making me lose good form.]
Cooldown: Ski machine and stretching
I had a long nap this afternoon so, while I was a bit sluggish getting out the door and hadn't had lunch or much of a dinner before working out, I felt good tonight. There were very few people at the gym, which might have been due to the light rain, but is probably more due to the fact it was Saturday night. I make a special effort to workout the same time in the future, since not having to deal with other people makes everything smoother and faster.
Speaking of naps, I had a dream this afternoon. I rarely remember my dreams but lately I've been having dreams more frequently. Despite having seen it three times in the theater, I think part of the reason I can't sink my teeth into Inception, like so many other people seem to be doing, is because I can't get into its depiction of "the dream world." On the one hand, its portrayal of dream consciousness just seems fake to me, too smooth, not erratic or creepy or soothing enough––in a word, all too consciously designed. On the other hand, insofar as the characters are supposed to be professional dreamers––masters of lucid dreaming––, while Inception's depiction of that kind of dreaming may be spot-on, it's a kind of dreaming so far removed from my own experience as to seem boring and phony. I had a friend in high school who got very good at lucid dreaming; once, he told me, he flew to school one night to look for a lost textbook of his and found it in the same spot the next day. Props! As for me, I've only had a couple recurring dreams and my total dream catalogue would probably not amount to more than a few hours of "cutting room floor footage" glued together for people with lots of peyote in their bloodstreams.
DiCaprio was in Shutter Island, which came out six months or so before Inception and Shutter Island had the most stunning and believable depiction of dreams I have ever seen. Scorcese nailed what dreams are like: innocuous objects suddenly loom large, backgrounds shift without warning, disturbing symbolic motifs pop out of nowhere, and such events are nearly always taken in stride. I also recently got sucked into "the Primer universe." Primer is a 2004 independent film, by former software engineer and first-time director Shane Carruth, which not only has received high critical acclaim but is also a cult classic. Carruth made the film for US$7000 in five weeks (!) and only hired one professional actor for it, but it really is one of the best SF films ever made, and certainly a contender for the best "time travel" film in history. It is immensely complex, since by the end of the film, we are trying to navigate multiple non-linear timelines, so I ended up watching Primer three times in a row (whilst intermittently reading online "explanations" of it) one day last week. (Hey, it's only 77 minutes.) Primer deals with dreams only circumstantially––apparently, a certain kind of shared dreaming is an effect of the technology used by the characters––but it added to my recent interest in dreaming as such.
It also dawns on me now that there are some long-standing contributing factors to my perplexed, "bystander's" interest in dreams. For one thing, the opening chapter of my favorite book, Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man, is a dream sequence. Second, one of my all-time favorite films is The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, which, while it focuses on memories, does show how dreams give body to our memories and memories give birth to our dreams. Third, another of my top-favorite films is Blade Runner, which is the film adaptation of Philip K. Dick's novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? And then there's my recent return to Twin Peaks, a TV show that simultaneously intrigued and baffled me as a kid. I believe dreams are very important to David Lynch, since his work is so heavily driven by dreams (for better or worse!). Indeed, Special Agent Cooper's famous dream in "the Red Room" is the (ahem) linchpin to the progress of the series, as he claims he knows who the killer is based on some revelations in the dream which need only be deciphered to crack the case. I suppose it also says something that I've got a "Dreams" category in my blog, which surprised me when I re-realized that fact while writing this post, even though there are only two (now three) posts in that category. I generally find sleep boring since it's unproductive and, more important, I have such a scrawny dreamscape. Yet, dreams seem interesting enough to me that I've made a category for them. Frankly, I wish I enjoyed sleep more, which I think I would if I dreamt more. So….
So I have once again taken up the gauntlet and have begun a dream journal. I've once more taken up trying to read Harary and Weintraub's Lucid Dreams in 30 Days. (Incidentally, this video is a subtly hilarious saga of one man's journey to achieve lucid dreaming in 30 days with the same book!) Keeping a dream journal is one of the core steps in developing higher dream consciousness, since, allegedly, it says to your brain that you are serious about accessing your dreams. Another step is to develop the waking habit of frequently asking (and checking, by various means), "Am I awake right now?" so that, while dreaming, you may reflexively ask the same question and thereby trigger semi-lucid awareness in the dream. Another technique is to write an "A" (for "Awake") on your hand or arm, etc., so that, in the dream, you may recall seeing the "A" and thus wake yourself in the dream. Another technique is to note "dreamlike incidents" during the day, so that you will be more keen at saying to yourself, "This feels like a dream," which may allow you to say the same thing in a dream.
I won't record my recent dreams here, but I do want to record a few dreamlike experiences I've recently had.
1) A few weeks ago at Mass, I was sitting in a pew towards the back of the church. I glanced ahead and seated about twelve pews ahead of me, to my left, was an older woman holding a very large stuffed bear. I couldn't believe my eyes. I visibly squirmed in my seat and stared at her for several moments just to confirm what I was seeing. It was truly unheimlich. (A funny coincidence is that in Lynch's Twin Peaks, there is "the Log Lady," who is also an older woman––remarkably similar in appearance to the woman I saw at Mass––who carries a log with her wherever she goes. I saw "the Bear Lady" weeks before recalling "the Log Lady" by watching clips of Twin Peaks.) It was one of the few times when I could genuinely say, "I feel like I'm in a David Lynch movie." I said that to myself in the Mass, weeks before coming back to Twin Peaks. I saw her again a couple weeks later––with the bear in the crook of her elbow––, so it was not a figment of my imagination. Just that much more unheimlich.
2) A couple nights ago I was sitting talking with someone and there was a pause in the conversation. Suddenly a soft but insistent moaning sound filled the room. It was the tea kettle, in the kitchen, apparently designed to howl gently rather than whistle like conventional teapots. As soon as the sound began, I felt my ears arch back, like a cat's, and my spine stiffened. Again, extremely unheimlich and dreamlike; and again I said to myself, "Am I in a David Lynch movie?"
3) Just this afternoon I was reaching for something on the counter when I accidentally knocked an object into the sink. It gently struck a metal thermos and at the exact same instant my cell phone beeped to alert me to a text message. Certainly it was a trivial and perfectly explicable coincidence, but what made me pause––spine stiffened––was the exact timing and how the tones were in perfect harmony.
4) A few days ago I was catching up with a friend in Gmail chat. She told me she'd had a very vivid dream about me and some things in my life. What she told me was very apt. Hearing about her dream didn't seem dreamlike but, obviously, it stoked the flames of my interest. This friend is a very devout Christian and she wanted to encourage me that her dream could very well be a message of encouragement and confirmation from God. I admit it had that effect to some degree.
The Bible lays a lot of stress on the importance of dreams and in college a friend asked me, "What do you think is the biblical teaching on dreams?" (Apparently, she had a very active dream life and was wondering how to interpret various dreams: from God or just neurological backwash?) I pondered for a moment, trying to devise one of those dense aphorisms I strive for. I said, "Biblically, dreams are either indications of what's going within you or signs of what God is doing around you." That doesn't settle the question of "immanence"––viz., whether a dream is just my subconscious or an actual spiritual disclosure from God––but my point is that that may be a false dichotomy. Biblically, a Christian's entire 'external' life is but a mode of his 'inner' life with God and, more fundamentally, his existence as interiorized in the life of Christ Himself. Hence, if there is anything to the abiding, spiritual, and sacramental bond created between the believer and Christ, what my subconscious is showing me directly bears on what God is showing me, and vice versa.
Here's to praying my aversion to sleep and my scrawny dream life is not a sign of blocking out God or some truths about myself.
Labels:
Athletics,
Bodybuilding,
Dreams,
Memoirs and Friends,
Movies
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Gym regimen - September 2010
[New month, same me!]
1 September, 2010
Ur-Workout: 50+ mins
90kg, BMI 25
0. Warmup: Stretching
1. Bench press: 12, 10, 8 @ 50-70kg
1a. Elbows-out dumbbell tricep extension (total weight): ø
2. Pullups: 13, 14, 15 @ bodyweight
2a. Lever bench row: ø
3. Dumbbell military press (per hand): 10, 8, 6 @ 18–22kg
[Felt weak on these. Meh. Another day.]
4. Barbell curl: 10, 8, 6 @ 35–42.5kg
[Much better form. Getting stronger.]
5. Supine French press: 10, 8, 6 @ 35–42kg
6. Leg extensions: 18, 15, 12 @ 35-55kg
7. Leg curl: 18, 15, 12 @ 35-40kg
8. Standing calf raise: ø
9. Kneeling rope pulldown (20 + 10 obliques): 30, 30, 30 @ 35kg
10. Wrist curl: ø
Cooldown: ø
+++
I'm glad I felt much stronger on the bench. But I stuck to playing it safe. As I will next time. Since I'll be leading a Bible study this Friday afternoon, I'll move my Friday workout to Saturday. I've been eating lots of fish and sleeping pretty well (but not early enough!), which perhaps accounts for my slight weight gain. Or maybe that was just my lunch in the belly!
1 September, 2010
Ur-Workout: 50+ mins
90kg, BMI 25
0. Warmup: Stretching
1. Bench press: 12, 10, 8 @ 50-70kg
1a. Elbows-out dumbbell tricep extension (total weight): ø
2. Pullups: 13, 14, 15 @ bodyweight
2a. Lever bench row: ø
3. Dumbbell military press (per hand): 10, 8, 6 @ 18–22kg
[Felt weak on these. Meh. Another day.]
4. Barbell curl: 10, 8, 6 @ 35–42.5kg
[Much better form. Getting stronger.]
5. Supine French press: 10, 8, 6 @ 35–42kg
6. Leg extensions: 18, 15, 12 @ 35-55kg
7. Leg curl: 18, 15, 12 @ 35-40kg
8. Standing calf raise: ø
9. Kneeling rope pulldown (20 + 10 obliques): 30, 30, 30 @ 35kg
10. Wrist curl: ø
Cooldown: ø
I'm glad I felt much stronger on the bench. But I stuck to playing it safe. As I will next time. Since I'll be leading a Bible study this Friday afternoon, I'll move my Friday workout to Saturday. I've been eating lots of fish and sleeping pretty well (but not early enough!), which perhaps accounts for my slight weight gain. Or maybe that was just my lunch in the belly!
Labels:
Athletics,
Bodybuilding,
Memoirs and Friends
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Gym regimen – August 2010
31 August 2010
30 mins
Barbell shrugs (per hand): 40, 45, 50 @ 18kg
[With feet less than shoulder width, barbell held slightly pronated, and waist bent forward about 20 degrees, shrug high for x reps.]
Variable leg raises: 40, 50, 60
[Lie supine, grip barbells or stable object over head (or press palms on floor) to keep torso secure, then raise legs as follows: together down and up for x reps; split open at top to drop and rise again for x reps; split open at bottom to rise and join at top for x reps; raise and lower alternating legs. Exhale on descent.]
Dumbbell grippers (seconds per hand): 40, 30, 20, 10 @ 20lb x 3 sets
[Stand a dumbbell upright and grip the upper hand for x seconds. Alternate hands.]
Standing oblique flex: 20, 25, 30 @ 18kg
[Hold a weight in one hand and then lean hard to the opposite side for x reps. Alternate hands for x sets.]
30 mins
Barbell shrugs (per hand): 40, 45, 50 @ 18kg
[With feet less than shoulder width, barbell held slightly pronated, and waist bent forward about 20 degrees, shrug high for x reps.]
Variable leg raises: 40, 50, 60
[Lie supine, grip barbells or stable object over head (or press palms on floor) to keep torso secure, then raise legs as follows: together down and up for x reps; split open at top to drop and rise again for x reps; split open at bottom to rise and join at top for x reps; raise and lower alternating legs. Exhale on descent.]
Dumbbell grippers (seconds per hand): 40, 30, 20, 10 @ 20lb x 3 sets
[Stand a dumbbell upright and grip the upper hand for x seconds. Alternate hands.]
Standing oblique flex: 20, 25, 30 @ 18kg
[Hold a weight in one hand and then lean hard to the opposite side for x reps. Alternate hands for x sets.]
Labels:
Athletics,
Bodybuilding,
Memoirs and Friends
Monday, August 30, 2010
Gym regimen - August 2010
30 August, 2010
Ur-Workout: 50-60 mins
89kg, BMI 25
0. Warmup: Stretching
1. Bench press: 12, 10, 8 @ 50-60kg
[Felt a little soreness in my left pec but I think it's safe again to do the bench press. I'll just have to keep my weight low for a week or two to "get some strength back under the injury," as it were.]
1a. Elbows-out dumbbell tricep extension (total weight): ø
2. Pullups: 12, 13, 13/-1/-1 @ bodyweight
[On my last set I did 13 in a row, then, after a brief pause, two negatives--hence the -1 and -1.]
2a. Lever bench row: ø
3. Barbell military press: 10, 8, 6 @ 35–48kg
4. Barbell curl: 10, 8, 6 @ 35–42.5kg
[Some sloppy form here on some reps but it's interesting I can do less total weight with the barbell than with the dumbbells. Probably because the barbell locks in my elbows betters and isolates the biceps more.]
5. Supine French press: 10, 8, 6 @ 25–45kg
6. Leg extensions: 18, 15, 12 @ 35-50kg
7. Leg curl: 18, 15, 12 @ 35-45kg
8. Standing calf raise: ø
9. Kneeling rope pulldown (20 + 10 obliques): 20/10, 30, 30 @ ~40kg
[I made sure to contract/curl more deeply into my knees so as to work the abs more.]
10. Wrist curl: ø
Cooldown: ø
+++
I was in a rush again, but, when I got to work, I realized I was off by an hour and could have taken my time. I tried to keep my sets tight but I felt very sluggish today, for two reasons, I think. First, I worked out perhaps too soon after lunch, so my circulation was still "a house divided" between my muscles and my digestive tract. Second, it was just so hot and sunny. Draining. And maybe the weekend away, at the Qing Jing farm resort area, drained me a bit. I got a decent little sunburn and we walked and drove many hours both days. Tourism is actually very exhausting for me. My eyes start to ache after too much window shopping and I prefer to just go some place nice and relax. I guess that's the doughy scholar in me. Or to recall a scene in Wayne's World, maybe I've got mono. :p I'm still perplexed that I haven't seemed to gain any weight, according to the scale, but I appear to have gained weight, according to the fit of my clothes and the mirror. Onward!
Ur-Workout: 50-60 mins
89kg, BMI 25
0. Warmup: Stretching
1. Bench press: 12, 10, 8 @ 50-60kg
[Felt a little soreness in my left pec but I think it's safe again to do the bench press. I'll just have to keep my weight low for a week or two to "get some strength back under the injury," as it were.]
1a. Elbows-out dumbbell tricep extension (total weight): ø
2. Pullups: 12, 13, 13/-1/-1 @ bodyweight
[On my last set I did 13 in a row, then, after a brief pause, two negatives--hence the -1 and -1.]
2a. Lever bench row: ø
3. Barbell military press: 10, 8, 6 @ 35–48kg
4. Barbell curl: 10, 8, 6 @ 35–42.5kg
[Some sloppy form here on some reps but it's interesting I can do less total weight with the barbell than with the dumbbells. Probably because the barbell locks in my elbows betters and isolates the biceps more.]
5. Supine French press: 10, 8, 6 @ 25–45kg
6. Leg extensions: 18, 15, 12 @ 35-50kg
7. Leg curl: 18, 15, 12 @ 35-45kg
8. Standing calf raise: ø
9. Kneeling rope pulldown (20 + 10 obliques): 20/10, 30, 30 @ ~40kg
[I made sure to contract/curl more deeply into my knees so as to work the abs more.]
10. Wrist curl: ø
Cooldown: ø
I was in a rush again, but, when I got to work, I realized I was off by an hour and could have taken my time. I tried to keep my sets tight but I felt very sluggish today, for two reasons, I think. First, I worked out perhaps too soon after lunch, so my circulation was still "a house divided" between my muscles and my digestive tract. Second, it was just so hot and sunny. Draining. And maybe the weekend away, at the Qing Jing farm resort area, drained me a bit. I got a decent little sunburn and we walked and drove many hours both days. Tourism is actually very exhausting for me. My eyes start to ache after too much window shopping and I prefer to just go some place nice and relax. I guess that's the doughy scholar in me. Or to recall a scene in Wayne's World, maybe I've got mono. :p I'm still perplexed that I haven't seemed to gain any weight, according to the scale, but I appear to have gained weight, according to the fit of my clothes and the mirror. Onward!
Labels:
Athletics,
Bodybuilding,
Memoirs and Friends
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Gym regimen – August 2010
27 August, 2010
Ur-Workout: 50+ mins
89kg, BMI 25
0. Warmup: Stretching
1. Bench press: ø
1a. Elbows-out dumbbell tricep extension (total weight): 10, 8, 6 @ 32–44kg
2. Pullup: ø
2a. Lever bench row: 10, 8, 6 @ 100-110kg
3. Dumbbell military press (total weight): 10, 8, 6 @ 36–54kg
4. Dumbbell curl (per hand): 10, 8, 6 @ 17–22kg
[Same off-center grip as last time. I let my form get away from me on my last set––hunching the shoulder a bit to get the weight up––but I had a good pump with the full supination.]
5. Decline leg press: 18, 16, 12 @ 150-170kg
[Felt great.]
6. Supine French press: 10, 8, 6 @ 25–45kg
[Nice form on these, though on my last set it tended to sink into a pullover. Felt very good.]
7. Leg curl: 18, 15, 12 @ 35-45kg
[Hams remain strong. Good groaning my last set. Heh.]
8. Standing calf raise: ø
9. Kneeling rope pulldown (20 + 10 obliques): 20/10, 20/10, 30 @ 40kg
[These really work the serratus anterior if you pull inward, the elbows converging as you curl under. They also work the forearms somethin' fierce!]
10. Wrist curl: ø
Cooldown: ø
+++
I decided to work out after work tonight, so I could get some things done in the afternoon. This meant I was under the gun to keep my time down and my intensity up. I got to Central just about 9PM and they close at 10PM. I did it all in under an hour, hooray! It dawned on me that part of the reason I haven't been able to keep my Ur-Workout under an hour, is because I tend to throw in a fourth set of some exercises, like leg press, leg curls, pullups, and pulldowns. When I stuck to three sets for everything, voilà, I made my goal.
I was actually tempted to forego my workout today, since I really do need to focus on some last-minute work projects, but I'll be going out of town this weekend, so I knew if I didn't work out today, I wouldn't get a chance again until Monday. (As for what a trip out of town will do for my uncompleted projects…!) I was driving and an urge suddenly crooned, "Don't go to the gym, let your body rest," and I replied, "Ahh, but that's the best sign: if my body doesn't 'want' to hit the weights but I do, I'm on the right path. Why do a routine that coddles your body?" Now if I could just be as disciplined about my prayer life!
Ur-Workout: 50+ mins
89kg, BMI 25
0. Warmup: Stretching
1. Bench press: ø
1a. Elbows-out dumbbell tricep extension (total weight): 10, 8, 6 @ 32–44kg
2. Pullup: ø
2a. Lever bench row: 10, 8, 6 @ 100-110kg
3. Dumbbell military press (total weight): 10, 8, 6 @ 36–54kg
4. Dumbbell curl (per hand): 10, 8, 6 @ 17–22kg
[Same off-center grip as last time. I let my form get away from me on my last set––hunching the shoulder a bit to get the weight up––but I had a good pump with the full supination.]
5. Decline leg press: 18, 16, 12 @ 150-170kg
[Felt great.]
6. Supine French press: 10, 8, 6 @ 25–45kg
[Nice form on these, though on my last set it tended to sink into a pullover. Felt very good.]
7. Leg curl: 18, 15, 12 @ 35-45kg
[Hams remain strong. Good groaning my last set. Heh.]
8. Standing calf raise: ø
9. Kneeling rope pulldown (20 + 10 obliques): 20/10, 20/10, 30 @ 40kg
[These really work the serratus anterior if you pull inward, the elbows converging as you curl under. They also work the forearms somethin' fierce!]
10. Wrist curl: ø
Cooldown: ø
I decided to work out after work tonight, so I could get some things done in the afternoon. This meant I was under the gun to keep my time down and my intensity up. I got to Central just about 9PM and they close at 10PM. I did it all in under an hour, hooray! It dawned on me that part of the reason I haven't been able to keep my Ur-Workout under an hour, is because I tend to throw in a fourth set of some exercises, like leg press, leg curls, pullups, and pulldowns. When I stuck to three sets for everything, voilà, I made my goal.
I was actually tempted to forego my workout today, since I really do need to focus on some last-minute work projects, but I'll be going out of town this weekend, so I knew if I didn't work out today, I wouldn't get a chance again until Monday. (As for what a trip out of town will do for my uncompleted projects…!) I was driving and an urge suddenly crooned, "Don't go to the gym, let your body rest," and I replied, "Ahh, but that's the best sign: if my body doesn't 'want' to hit the weights but I do, I'm on the right path. Why do a routine that coddles your body?" Now if I could just be as disciplined about my prayer life!
Labels:
Athletics,
Bodybuilding,
Memoirs and Friends
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Gym routine - August 2010
25 August, 2010
Ur-Workout: 70 mins
89kg, BMI 25
0. Warmup: Exercise bike, ski machine, stretching
1. Bench press:
[Not until my left pec gets better.]
1a. Elbows-out dumbbell tricep extension (total weight): 10, 8, 6 @ 32–40kg
2. Pullup: 12 @ bodyweight
2a. Lever bench row: 10, 8, 6 @ 100-120kg
[I probably need to change this to a 12, 10, 8 rep-scheme and keep the weight from 100–110kg. My form was a little off tonight––I let my chest come off the pad––and, on top of that, I didn't feel as much PUMP as I want to feel when I work my lats! More reps! heheh]
3. Dumbbell military press (total weight): 10, 8, 6 @ 36–54kg
4. Dumbbell curl (total weight): 10, 8, 6 @ 30–45kg
[I tried a new technique with these: grip the handle at the outer head, not in the middle, so there is more space between the blade of your hand and the inner head, and no space between your thumb and the outer head. This accentuates the supinating power of the biceps as opposed to the mere flexing.]
5. Decline leg press: 20, 18, 16, 12 @ 130-180kg
[My foot felt a little achey but otherwise it was great to be able to do the leg press again!]
6. Leg curl: 20, 15, 15, 12 @ 30-45kg
[My hams have definitely gotten stronger. I did 15 reps at 40kg with only socially tolerable grunting on the last few reps. Finishing 12 reps at 45kg, however, was a beautifully raw effort.]
7. Supine French press: 10, 8, 6 @ 25–40kg (?)
[I could really feel the extra challenge I gave my left arm in my last workout. Doubling up on my tris lately has made me sore but I like the challenge.]
8. Standing calf raise: N/A
[Moratorium on calf raises, due to foot injury.]
9. Kneeling rope pulldown (20 + 10 obliques): 30, 30, 32, 32 @ 35-40kg
[I realized today that the reason I have been doing 70kg+ is because the cable machine I was on has lots of pulleys, which inflate the weight. When I went to a straight, single-pulley machine, 40kg felt about the same as my usual 77.5kg, so I'm splitting the difference. This is one of those cases when an "illusion of weight" doesn't annoy me at all: I have felt the soreness in my serrati anterior and abs, and I love the pump during this exercise, so the numbers can take the hindmost.]
10. Wrist curl: N/A
[I'll work wrists on off-days.]
Cooldown: That wacky vibrating machine from the 1950s!
[I read that vibrations actually do help muscle growth (e.g. as claimed here), so it seems like a mini-massage afterwards is a good way to cool down. If nothing else, it's soothing.]
+++
I have to get my intensity up, which means I have to get my time down. Granted, my 70 minutes today included at least 5 minutes of warmup and 5 minutes of cooldown, so that puts me at 60 minutes of actual workout time. I also have to factor in the delay from waiting on other people. Still, I'd like to get my workout to 50 minutes or less, no matter what.
Ur-Workout: 70 mins
89kg, BMI 25
0. Warmup: Exercise bike, ski machine, stretching
1. Bench press:
[Not until my left pec gets better.]
1a. Elbows-out dumbbell tricep extension (total weight): 10, 8, 6 @ 32–40kg2. Pullup: 12 @ bodyweight
2a. Lever bench row: 10, 8, 6 @ 100-120kg
[I probably need to change this to a 12, 10, 8 rep-scheme and keep the weight from 100–110kg. My form was a little off tonight––I let my chest come off the pad––and, on top of that, I didn't feel as much PUMP as I want to feel when I work my lats! More reps! heheh]
3. Dumbbell military press (total weight): 10, 8, 6 @ 36–54kg
4. Dumbbell curl (total weight): 10, 8, 6 @ 30–45kg
[I tried a new technique with these: grip the handle at the outer head, not in the middle, so there is more space between the blade of your hand and the inner head, and no space between your thumb and the outer head. This accentuates the supinating power of the biceps as opposed to the mere flexing.]
5. Decline leg press: 20, 18, 16, 12 @ 130-180kg[My foot felt a little achey but otherwise it was great to be able to do the leg press again!]
6. Leg curl: 20, 15, 15, 12 @ 30-45kg
[My hams have definitely gotten stronger. I did 15 reps at 40kg with only socially tolerable grunting on the last few reps. Finishing 12 reps at 45kg, however, was a beautifully raw effort.]
7. Supine French press: 10, 8, 6 @ 25–40kg (?)
[I could really feel the extra challenge I gave my left arm in my last workout. Doubling up on my tris lately has made me sore but I like the challenge.]
8. Standing calf raise: N/A
[Moratorium on calf raises, due to foot injury.]
9. Kneeling rope pulldown (20 + 10 obliques): 30, 30, 32, 32 @ 35-40kg
[I realized today that the reason I have been doing 70kg+ is because the cable machine I was on has lots of pulleys, which inflate the weight. When I went to a straight, single-pulley machine, 40kg felt about the same as my usual 77.5kg, so I'm splitting the difference. This is one of those cases when an "illusion of weight" doesn't annoy me at all: I have felt the soreness in my serrati anterior and abs, and I love the pump during this exercise, so the numbers can take the hindmost.]
10. Wrist curl: N/A
[I'll work wrists on off-days.]
Cooldown: That wacky vibrating machine from the 1950s![I read that vibrations actually do help muscle growth (e.g. as claimed here), so it seems like a mini-massage afterwards is a good way to cool down. If nothing else, it's soothing.]
I have to get my intensity up, which means I have to get my time down. Granted, my 70 minutes today included at least 5 minutes of warmup and 5 minutes of cooldown, so that puts me at 60 minutes of actual workout time. I also have to factor in the delay from waiting on other people. Still, I'd like to get my workout to 50 minutes or less, no matter what.
Labels:
Athletics,
Bodybuilding,
Memoirs and Friends
Monday, August 23, 2010
Gym regimen – August 2010
23 August, 2010
Ur-Workout: 60 mins
89kg, BMI 25
0. Warmup: Stretching
1. Bench press: 10 @ 50kg
2. Pullup: 12, 13, 14 @ bodyweight
3. Barbell military press (total weight): 10, 8, 6 @ 30–45kg
4. Barbell curl: 10, 8, 6 @ 30–42.5kg
5. Elbows-out dumbbell tricep extension (total weight): 10, 8, 6 @ 32kg, 36kg, 38kg
6. Leg extension: 20, 15, 15, 15 @ 35kg, 45kg, 55kg
7. Leg curl: 20, 15, 15 @ 30kg, 35kg, 40kg
1a. Supine French press: 10, 8, 6 @ 30–40kg
[I added a 1.25kg plate to the left side so as to bring my left arm up to par with the right.]
8. Standing calf raise: N/A
[Moratorium on calf raises, due to foot injury.]
9. Kneeling rope pulldown (20 + 10 obliques): 30, 30, 30 @ 73kg, 77.5kg, 77.5kg
10. Wrist curl: N/A
[I'll work wrists on off-days.]
+++
Nope. Not gonna be doing the bench press for a while. I felt the strain in my left pec immediately on my first rep but I finished the set. At least I know the injury is not debilitating, just needs time. Have to work the tris that much harder.
A rushed workout––again, me needing to get to work on time. It was also soooo darrrrned muuuuggy. A fan, my kingdom for a fan! No denying I need to sleep better, but I'd also had four days off from last week, so I knew my body would be sluggish to get back on the bull.
My foot is feeling better every day, so I am tempted to swap out my leg extensions for a decline leg press, at least for a few sets. Next workout I will swap out the barbell for dumbbells. Muscle confusion, new techniques I read about, etc.
Ur-Workout: 60 mins
89kg, BMI 25
0. Warmup: Stretching
1. Bench press: 10 @ 50kg
2. Pullup: 12, 13, 14 @ bodyweight
3. Barbell military press (total weight): 10, 8, 6 @ 30–45kg
4. Barbell curl: 10, 8, 6 @ 30–42.5kg
5. Elbows-out dumbbell tricep extension (total weight): 10, 8, 6 @ 32kg, 36kg, 38kg
6. Leg extension: 20, 15, 15, 15 @ 35kg, 45kg, 55kg
7. Leg curl: 20, 15, 15 @ 30kg, 35kg, 40kg
1a. Supine French press: 10, 8, 6 @ 30–40kg
[I added a 1.25kg plate to the left side so as to bring my left arm up to par with the right.]
8. Standing calf raise: N/A
[Moratorium on calf raises, due to foot injury.]
9. Kneeling rope pulldown (20 + 10 obliques): 30, 30, 30 @ 73kg, 77.5kg, 77.5kg
10. Wrist curl: N/A
[I'll work wrists on off-days.]
Nope. Not gonna be doing the bench press for a while. I felt the strain in my left pec immediately on my first rep but I finished the set. At least I know the injury is not debilitating, just needs time. Have to work the tris that much harder.
A rushed workout––again, me needing to get to work on time. It was also soooo darrrrned muuuuggy. A fan, my kingdom for a fan! No denying I need to sleep better, but I'd also had four days off from last week, so I knew my body would be sluggish to get back on the bull.
My foot is feeling better every day, so I am tempted to swap out my leg extensions for a decline leg press, at least for a few sets. Next workout I will swap out the barbell for dumbbells. Muscle confusion, new techniques I read about, etc.
Labels:
Athletics,
Bodybuilding,
Memoirs and Friends
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Gym regimen – August 2010
18 August, 2010
Ur-Workout: ~60 mins
89kg, BMI 25
Well, there you have it. Another injury. This time it's the left pec. Same spot as my early right-pec strain. I can only blame my extra workout Monday night (in red) with all those flyes and elbows-out extensions. As I've said, my chest is my Achilles' heel. (So would my Achilles' heel be my chest?) Week 1: right-pec strain. Week 2&3: lower back/hip soreness from squat and straight-leg deadlift. Week 6: Foot injury. Week 7: Left-pec strain. Why do I keep at it? Because it's there.
0. Warmup: Ski machine & stretching
1. Bench press: 10, 2 @ 60kg
2. Pullup: 12, 12, 14, 12 @ bodyweight
3. Dumbbell military press (total weight): 10, 8, 6 @ 25–45kg
4. Barbell curl: 10, 8, 6 @ 30–42.5kg
5. Elbows-out dumbbell tricep extension (total weight): 10, 8, 6 @ 32kg, 36kg, 38kg
[During my last set I had rather sloppy form on the concentric phase, but solid eccentric (negative) form.]
6. Leg extension: 20, 15, 15, 12/3 @ 35kg, 40kg, 50kg, 55kg
[Gains. Pains. Gains.]
7. Leg curl: 20, 15, 15, 12/3 @ 30kg, 35kg, 40kg, 45kg
[Gains. Pains. Gains.]
1a. Supine French press: 10, 8, 6 @ 25–40kg
[Seeing as I couldn't work my chest, I wanted to double up on my triceps. Very good form on these. I don't lower to my foreheard but arc to the crown of my skull, which I think gives a fuller range of motion. Based on what I've read, the truth is that the key to a good bench press is strong tris and lats and good form. So, even if I can't really work my chest directly for a week or so, I intend to rock my tris, so that once my chest is well again I won't have lost too much on the bench.]
8. Standing calf raise: N/A
[Moratorium on calf raises, due to foot injury.]
9. Kneeling rope pulldown (20 + 10 obliques): 30, 30, 30, 30 @ 73kg, 77.5kg, 77.5kg, 77.5kg
10. Wrist curl: N/A
[I'll work wrists on off-days.]
Ur-Workout: ~60 mins
89kg, BMI 25
Well, there you have it. Another injury. This time it's the left pec. Same spot as my early right-pec strain. I can only blame my extra workout Monday night (in red) with all those flyes and elbows-out extensions. As I've said, my chest is my Achilles' heel. (So would my Achilles' heel be my chest?) Week 1: right-pec strain. Week 2&3: lower back/hip soreness from squat and straight-leg deadlift. Week 6: Foot injury. Week 7: Left-pec strain. Why do I keep at it? Because it's there.
0. Warmup: Ski machine & stretching
1. Bench press: 10, 2 @ 60kg
2. Pullup: 12, 12, 14, 12 @ bodyweight
3. Dumbbell military press (total weight): 10, 8, 6 @ 25–45kg
4. Barbell curl: 10, 8, 6 @ 30–42.5kg
5. Elbows-out dumbbell tricep extension (total weight): 10, 8, 6 @ 32kg, 36kg, 38kg
[During my last set I had rather sloppy form on the concentric phase, but solid eccentric (negative) form.]
6. Leg extension: 20, 15, 15, 12/3 @ 35kg, 40kg, 50kg, 55kg
[Gains. Pains. Gains.]
7. Leg curl: 20, 15, 15, 12/3 @ 30kg, 35kg, 40kg, 45kg
[Gains. Pains. Gains.]
1a. Supine French press: 10, 8, 6 @ 25–40kg[Seeing as I couldn't work my chest, I wanted to double up on my triceps. Very good form on these. I don't lower to my foreheard but arc to the crown of my skull, which I think gives a fuller range of motion. Based on what I've read, the truth is that the key to a good bench press is strong tris and lats and good form. So, even if I can't really work my chest directly for a week or so, I intend to rock my tris, so that once my chest is well again I won't have lost too much on the bench.]
8. Standing calf raise: N/A
[Moratorium on calf raises, due to foot injury.]
9. Kneeling rope pulldown (20 + 10 obliques): 30, 30, 30, 30 @ 73kg, 77.5kg, 77.5kg, 77.5kg
10. Wrist curl: N/A
[I'll work wrists on off-days.]
+++
I'm kind of baffled that I havent gained much weight in the past two months, but, then again, I have not gained fat and I have clearly gained definition and strength, so let "mass" take the hindmost for now. Because I'll be leading a small Bible group discussion Friday afternoon and then teaching Friday afternoon/evening, I won't workout again until Saturday afternoon or evening, which will give my pititful pectorals a good chance to rest. Not that I intend to hit bench press until next week. Just saying, the extra day of rest will be good for me.
Labels:
Athletics,
Bodybuilding,
Memoirs and Friends
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
BB Brainstorming II...
Look, all this bodybuilding and exercise helps me stave off depression, such as I occasionally need to. As does all my reading and cogitating.
Now, having said that.
…tweaking a 3-day routine…
A. Ur-Workout 1:
0. Warmup
1. Bench Press 5X8,8,6,6,4
2. Wide-grip Pullups 3X10
3. Barbell Military Press 3X10,8,6
4. Barbell Curl 3X10,8,6
5. Supine French Press 3X10,8,6
6. Squat 3X10,8,6
7. Leg Curl 3X20,15,15
8.Standing Calf Raises 5X15 Kneeling cable pulldowns (+obliques) 3X30
[We'll see about calf raises when my foot's better.]
B. Ur-Workout 2:
0. Warmup
1. Inlcine Bench Press 5X8,8,6,6,4
2. Bench Row 3X10,8,6
3. Dumbbell Military Press 3X10,8,6
4. Dumbbell (Flip-Twist) Curl 3X10,8,6
5. Elbows-out Extension 3X10,8,6
6. Leg Extension 3X20,15,15
7. Straight-leg Deadlift 3X10,8,6
8. Seated Calf Raises 5X15
C. Off-days:
Obliques 3X30 (or so)
Wrist Grip/Pinch 3Xfailure
Neck Bridge & Neck Flex 3X & 3X15
Jump rope
[Woe, woe is I! No more skipping till my foot is better!]
Hypothetical week:
Monday A.
Tuesday C.
Wednesday B.
Thursday C.
Friday A.
Saturday C.
Sunday ø
Now, having said that.
…tweaking a 3-day routine…
A. Ur-Workout 1:
0. Warmup
1. Bench Press 5X8,8,6,6,4
2. Wide-grip Pullups 3X10
3. Barbell Military Press 3X10,8,6
4. Barbell Curl 3X10,8,6
5. Supine French Press 3X10,8,6
6. Squat 3X10,8,6
7. Leg Curl 3X20,15,15
8.
[We'll see about calf raises when my foot's better.]
B. Ur-Workout 2:
0. Warmup
1. Inlcine Bench Press 5X8,8,6,6,4
2. Bench Row 3X10,8,6
3. Dumbbell Military Press 3X10,8,6
4. Dumbbell (Flip-Twist) Curl 3X10,8,6
5. Elbows-out Extension 3X10,8,6
6. Leg Extension 3X20,15,15
7. Straight-leg Deadlift 3X10,8,6
8. Seated Calf Raises 5X15
C. Off-days:
Obliques 3X30 (or so)
Wrist Grip/Pinch 3Xfailure
Neck Bridge & Neck Flex 3X & 3X15
[Woe, woe is I! No more skipping till my foot is better!]
Hypothetical week:
Monday A.
Tuesday C.
Wednesday B.
Thursday C.
Friday A.
Saturday C.
Sunday ø
Labels:
Athletics,
Bodybuilding,
Memoirs and Friends
Monday, August 16, 2010
Gym routine - August 2010
16 August, 2010
Ur-Workout: 60 mins
89kg, BMI 25
0. Warmup: stretching
1. Bench press: 10, 8, 6, 6*, 8 @ 60-80kg (?)
[* I got a spot on my 6th rep of my 4th set. Because a really big small guy was hogging the bench by the time I got to my 5th set, and I was under the gun to get to work on time, I did my last set on a Smith machine. Turns out my hunch was right: the Smith machine gives a slight handicap. But I just wanted to "get the thing done." Interestingly enough, though, this article reports a strength deficit on the Smith machine due to the angle of the tracks. Quote:
2. Pullup: 12, 13, 14 @ bodyweight
3. Dumbbell military press (total weight, not per hand): 10, 8, 8 @ 30–45kg
[The big little guy was hogging the squat rack when I started, so I went for dumbbell presses on an adjustable chair/bench. These felt pretty good with a bench supporting my back so maybe I'll try it again this way. Then again, maybe I should use the Smith machine. Always good to keep tweaking.]
4. Barbell curl: 10, 8, 6 @ 30–42.5kg
5. Elbows-out dumbbell tricep extension: 10, 8, 6 @ 18kg, 18kg, 20kg
6. Leg extension: 20, 15, 15 @ 30kg, 45kg, 55kg
7. Leg curl: 20, 15, 15 @ 20kg, 30kg, 40kg
8. Standing calf raise: N/A
[Moratorium on calf raises, due to foot injury.]
9. Kneeling rope pulldown (+obliques): 30, 30 @ 73kg, 77.5kg
[I love these but could only fit two sets in today.]
10. Wrist curl: N/A
[I work wrists on off-days.]
+++
I felt pretty drained by the middle of this workout. Partially this was due to the fact that I was moving pretty fast from exercise to exercise, so I could make it to work on time, but my recent "sophomoric" sleep pattern the past week or so hasn't helped at all. As the Chinese say, "You yin, you guo" (For every effect there is a cause). Part of the problem also was that I worked my wrists and obliques last night--gripping a heavy box just off the floor till failure for 3 sets, and hoisting a large bucket of water 35 reps per side for 3 sets--, so my wrists felt more fatigued even after my first set. I think I'll start having morning classes again soon, which will motivate me to go to sleep earlier, which is all for the better.
+ + +
ADDENDUM:
I was feeling frisky––or maybe just melancholy––after work, so, after reading a stimulating review of The Case for Qualia, I scurried home for a small "cleanup" workout:
Dumbbell "flip" curl (per arm): 12, 12, 13 @ 16kg, 14kg, 14kg
[I can't recall the name of these curls––something with a Z-name but not Zercher––, but you begin with an underhand grip, rotate into a "beer mug" grip on the way up until you have an overhand grip at the top of the curl, and then lower the weight with an overhand grip until you rotate back into an underhand grip at the bottom.]
Dumbbell flye (per arm): 12, 13, 15 @ 20kg
[As Arnold insists, these are not presses: don't "flap" your arms and "clap" the weights together. Instead, lower the weights with semi-curled arms so as to stretch your chest and then squeeze the weights inward, not upward, until they are a few inches apart (again, not until they "clink").]
Seated elbows-out extension (per arm): 10, 10, 10 @ 14kg
Ur-Workout: 60 mins
89kg, BMI 25
0. Warmup: stretching
1. Bench press: 10, 8, 6, 6*, 8 @ 60-80kg (?)[* I got a spot on my 6th rep of my 4th set. Because a really big small guy was hogging the bench by the time I got to my 5th set, and I was under the gun to get to work on time, I did my last set on a Smith machine. Turns out my hunch was right: the Smith machine gives a slight handicap. But I just wanted to "get the thing done." Interestingly enough, though, this article reports a strength deficit on the Smith machine due to the angle of the tracks. Quote:
A study ... found that trained lifters were, on average, more than 15% stronger during their one-rep max bench press when testing with a free-weight barbell as compared to a Smith machine. In a follow-up study..., trained bodybuilders were about 10% stronger during the free-weight bench press compared to the Smith machine bench press when using a 10-rep max weight. The strength deficit on the Smith machine is due to the fixed, straight path of the bar in the Smith machine. In contrast, when pressing the bar up during a bench press, the strongest path is a curved one (heading toward your chin on the way up).
These results don't mean you should never use a Smith machine for bench presses. ... The bar path may be a biomechanical disadvantage, but it will hit different muscle fibers than the barbell version. In addition, a Smith machine lets you worry less about balance and focus more on the pectoral contraction. For bodybuilders training alone, a Smith machine offers the critical advantage of safety.]
2. Pullup: 12, 13, 14 @ bodyweight
3. Dumbbell military press (total weight, not per hand): 10, 8, 8 @ 30–45kg
[The big little guy was hogging the squat rack when I started, so I went for dumbbell presses on an adjustable chair/bench. These felt pretty good with a bench supporting my back so maybe I'll try it again this way. Then again, maybe I should use the Smith machine. Always good to keep tweaking.]
4. Barbell curl: 10, 8, 6 @ 30–42.5kg
5. Elbows-out dumbbell tricep extension: 10, 8, 6 @ 18kg, 18kg, 20kg
6. Leg extension: 20, 15, 15 @ 30kg, 45kg, 55kg
7. Leg curl: 20, 15, 15 @ 20kg, 30kg, 40kg
8. Standing calf raise: N/A
[Moratorium on calf raises, due to foot injury.]
9. Kneeling rope pulldown (+obliques): 30, 30 @ 73kg, 77.5kg
[I love these but could only fit two sets in today.]
10. Wrist curl: N/A
[I work wrists on off-days.]
I felt pretty drained by the middle of this workout. Partially this was due to the fact that I was moving pretty fast from exercise to exercise, so I could make it to work on time, but my recent "sophomoric" sleep pattern the past week or so hasn't helped at all. As the Chinese say, "You yin, you guo" (For every effect there is a cause). Part of the problem also was that I worked my wrists and obliques last night--gripping a heavy box just off the floor till failure for 3 sets, and hoisting a large bucket of water 35 reps per side for 3 sets--, so my wrists felt more fatigued even after my first set. I think I'll start having morning classes again soon, which will motivate me to go to sleep earlier, which is all for the better.
ADDENDUM:
I was feeling frisky––or maybe just melancholy––after work, so, after reading a stimulating review of The Case for Qualia, I scurried home for a small "cleanup" workout:
Dumbbell "flip" curl (per arm): 12, 12, 13 @ 16kg, 14kg, 14kg
[I can't recall the name of these curls––something with a Z-name but not Zercher––, but you begin with an underhand grip, rotate into a "beer mug" grip on the way up until you have an overhand grip at the top of the curl, and then lower the weight with an overhand grip until you rotate back into an underhand grip at the bottom.]
Dumbbell flye (per arm): 12, 13, 15 @ 20kg
[As Arnold insists, these are not presses: don't "flap" your arms and "clap" the weights together. Instead, lower the weights with semi-curled arms so as to stretch your chest and then squeeze the weights inward, not upward, until they are a few inches apart (again, not until they "clink").]
Seated elbows-out extension (per arm): 10, 10, 10 @ 14kg
Labels:
Athletics,
Bodybuilding,
Memoirs and Friends
Friday, August 13, 2010
Gym regimen – August 2010
13 August, 2010
Ur-Workout: 80–90 mins
89kg, BMI 25
0. Warmup: Ski machine & stretching
1. Bench press: 10, 8, 6, 6, 4/6 @ 60-80kg/75kg
[/ indicates a momentary break between sets. In this case, I did 4 clean reps at 80kg, hopped off to drop the weight to 75kg, and then did another 6 clean reps.]
2. Pullup: 12, 11/2, 11/3, 10/2 @ bodyweight
[Here again, I did, 13 reps by letting go of the pullup grips for a second or two after my eleventh rep and then doing the last two reps, 14 reps in eleven and then two, etc.]
3. Barbell military press: 10, 8, 8 @ 30–45kg
[Because I am always uncomfortable with the way this press puts pressure on my mid-spine, by causing me to bow, I put a couple thick boards under the front end of the bench I was sitting on, which raised my hips and straightened out my spine a bit. And tips?]
4. Barbell curl: 10, 8, 3/3 @ 30–45kg/42.5kg
5. Elbows-out dumbbell tricep extension: 10, 8, 6 @ 16kg, 18kg, 18kg
6. Leg extension: 20, 15, 15, 20 @ 30kg, 40kg, 50kg, 25kg
7. Leg curl: 20, 15, 15, 20 @ 20kg, 30kg, 40kg, 25kg
[Not a little grunting on my third set at 40kg. "Many Shuvs and Zuuls knew what it was to be roasted in the depths of the Slor that day, I can tell you!"]
8. Standing calf raise: N/A
[Moratorium on calf raises, due to foot injury.]
9. Kneeling rope pulldown (+obliques): 30, 30, 30, 30 @ 73kg, 73kg, 77.5kg, 77.5kg
[I love these!]
10. Wrist curl: N/A
[I'll work wrists on off-days.]
+++
I felt pretty sluggish during this workout and I took a few "indulgent" minutes of rest after my third set so I could give my pecs and tris a chance to prepare for the final two sets of bench. I think it was worth it. Still, I'm not thrilled the workout took me nearly twice as long as it should have. Meh, always room to sharpen my mental game. I could definitely feel the previous two workouts (Monday and Wednesday had caught up with me for this workout, but I intentionally pushed myself despite the lag. My body will appreciate having Saturday and Sunday off.
Last night I did some wrist and ab work: three sets of what I'll call "grip shrugs" and three sets of standing dumbbell twists. Grip shrugs––possibly my own invention but almost certainly not––are a sort of isometric-plyometric exercise done by standing, knees slightly bent, with a heavy dumbbell in each hand and the arms drooping as low as possible, shoulders very relaxed.
Then just bounce slightly (to generate tiny shrugs and micro-squats, as it were), meanwhile feeling your grip get hotter and weaker as the seconds pass. Go for about a minute each set or just till near-failure. You can also alternate the grip from a neutral grip (with the dumbbells couching your quads) to a rear grip (with the weights tucked behind your buttocks/hams). A neutral grip works extensors, while a rear grip works flexors.
The ab twists involve standing, knees slightly bent, with dumbbells held close to chest/collarbones, and rotating with a slight sink from hip to hip. Twenty or thirty reps per set.
I followed all this up with a couple sets of ab "seesaws" for obliques––hold a dumbbell in one hand parallel to the thigh and then lean over to the other side; switch hands and repeat––and some "doorknobbers" (my own name)––place your elbow on a level surface and rotate a dumbbell left to right.
Thrilling stuff, I know.
Ur-Workout: 80–90 mins
89kg, BMI 25
0. Warmup: Ski machine & stretching
1. Bench press: 10, 8, 6, 6, 4/6 @ 60-80kg/75kg
[/ indicates a momentary break between sets. In this case, I did 4 clean reps at 80kg, hopped off to drop the weight to 75kg, and then did another 6 clean reps.]
2. Pullup: 12, 11/2, 11/3, 10/2 @ bodyweight
[Here again, I did, 13 reps by letting go of the pullup grips for a second or two after my eleventh rep and then doing the last two reps, 14 reps in eleven and then two, etc.]
3. Barbell military press: 10, 8, 8 @ 30–45kg
[Because I am always uncomfortable with the way this press puts pressure on my mid-spine, by causing me to bow, I put a couple thick boards under the front end of the bench I was sitting on, which raised my hips and straightened out my spine a bit. And tips?]
4. Barbell curl: 10, 8, 3/3 @ 30–45kg/42.5kg
5. Elbows-out dumbbell tricep extension: 10, 8, 6 @ 16kg, 18kg, 18kg
6. Leg extension: 20, 15, 15, 20 @ 30kg, 40kg, 50kg, 25kg
7. Leg curl: 20, 15, 15, 20 @ 20kg, 30kg, 40kg, 25kg
[Not a little grunting on my third set at 40kg. "Many Shuvs and Zuuls knew what it was to be roasted in the depths of the Slor that day, I can tell you!"]
8. Standing calf raise: N/A
[Moratorium on calf raises, due to foot injury.]
9. Kneeling rope pulldown (+obliques): 30, 30, 30, 30 @ 73kg, 73kg, 77.5kg, 77.5kg
[I love these!]
10. Wrist curl: N/A
[I'll work wrists on off-days.]
I felt pretty sluggish during this workout and I took a few "indulgent" minutes of rest after my third set so I could give my pecs and tris a chance to prepare for the final two sets of bench. I think it was worth it. Still, I'm not thrilled the workout took me nearly twice as long as it should have. Meh, always room to sharpen my mental game. I could definitely feel the previous two workouts (Monday and Wednesday had caught up with me for this workout, but I intentionally pushed myself despite the lag. My body will appreciate having Saturday and Sunday off.
Last night I did some wrist and ab work: three sets of what I'll call "grip shrugs" and three sets of standing dumbbell twists. Grip shrugs––possibly my own invention but almost certainly not––are a sort of isometric-plyometric exercise done by standing, knees slightly bent, with a heavy dumbbell in each hand and the arms drooping as low as possible, shoulders very relaxed.
Then just bounce slightly (to generate tiny shrugs and micro-squats, as it were), meanwhile feeling your grip get hotter and weaker as the seconds pass. Go for about a minute each set or just till near-failure. You can also alternate the grip from a neutral grip (with the dumbbells couching your quads) to a rear grip (with the weights tucked behind your buttocks/hams). A neutral grip works extensors, while a rear grip works flexors. The ab twists involve standing, knees slightly bent, with dumbbells held close to chest/collarbones, and rotating with a slight sink from hip to hip. Twenty or thirty reps per set.
I followed all this up with a couple sets of ab "seesaws" for obliques––hold a dumbbell in one hand parallel to the thigh and then lean over to the other side; switch hands and repeat––and some "doorknobbers" (my own name)––place your elbow on a level surface and rotate a dumbbell left to right.
Thrilling stuff, I know.
Labels:
Athletics,
Bodybuilding,
Memoirs and Friends
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Gym routine - August 2010
11 August, 2010
Ur-Workout: 60 mins (?)
Warmup: Biking and stretching
1. Bench press: 10, 8, 6, 6, 4**, 6 @ 55-80kg, 70kg
[**help from spotter on last two reps]
2. Pullup: 12, 12, 12 @ bodyweight
3. Barbell military press: 10, 8, 6 @ 25–45kg
4. Barbell curl: 10, 8, 6 @ 25–45kg
5. Elbows-out dumbbell tricep extension: 10, 8, 6 @ 14–18kg
6. Leg extension: 20, 15, 15, 15 @ 30–50kg, 25kg
7. Leg curl: 20, 15, 15, 15 @ 20–40kg, 15kg
8. Standing calf raise: N/A
[Moratorium on calf raises, due to foot injury.]
9. Kneeling rope pulldown (+ obliques): 30, 30, 30, 30 @ 73kg, 73kg, 73kg, 77.5kg, 73kg
10. Wrist curl: N/A
[To be done on an off-day.]
+++
It rained like the Dickens this afternoon just as I was heading out for the gym, but at least this made for cool conditions in the open-air gym. And occasional drops of water on my face during the bench press.
Apropos the bench press, I was pleased to see yet more strength, particularly when I did an impromptu "cooldown" set of 6 reps at 70kg after my "final" set of 4 reps at 80kg. Assuming the weights at Central are not grossly inaccurate (!), this marks a new PR for me in my continued pursuit of a respectable-ish bench press. After a few more weeks on the Ur-Workout, I may go for a one-rep max (1RM) whereupon I believe I shall crack my college best of 205lb. Four reps at 80kg (176lb), even with the latter two being spotted, followed less than a minute later by 6 solid reps at 70kg (154lb) means I'm close to that level already. But, as always... Patience, Humility, Confidence.
On the flipside, I was definitely at a plateau with my barbell curl, sacrificing 'perfect' form for greater effort, especially on my last set of 6 reps. Stay tuned.
Ur-Workout: 60 mins (?)
Warmup: Biking and stretching
1. Bench press: 10, 8, 6, 6, 4**, 6 @ 55-80kg, 70kg
[**help from spotter on last two reps]
2. Pullup: 12, 12, 12 @ bodyweight
3. Barbell military press: 10, 8, 6 @ 25–45kg
4. Barbell curl: 10, 8, 6 @ 25–45kg
5. Elbows-out dumbbell tricep extension: 10, 8, 6 @ 14–18kg
6. Leg extension: 20, 15, 15, 15 @ 30–50kg, 25kg
7. Leg curl: 20, 15, 15, 15 @ 20–40kg, 15kg
8. Standing calf raise: N/A
[Moratorium on calf raises, due to foot injury.]
9. Kneeling rope pulldown (+ obliques): 30, 30, 30, 30 @ 73kg, 73kg, 73kg, 77.5kg, 73kg 10. Wrist curl: N/A
[To be done on an off-day.]
It rained like the Dickens this afternoon just as I was heading out for the gym, but at least this made for cool conditions in the open-air gym. And occasional drops of water on my face during the bench press.
Apropos the bench press, I was pleased to see yet more strength, particularly when I did an impromptu "cooldown" set of 6 reps at 70kg after my "final" set of 4 reps at 80kg. Assuming the weights at Central are not grossly inaccurate (!), this marks a new PR for me in my continued pursuit of a respectable-ish bench press. After a few more weeks on the Ur-Workout, I may go for a one-rep max (1RM) whereupon I believe I shall crack my college best of 205lb. Four reps at 80kg (176lb), even with the latter two being spotted, followed less than a minute later by 6 solid reps at 70kg (154lb) means I'm close to that level already. But, as always... Patience, Humility, Confidence.
On the flipside, I was definitely at a plateau with my barbell curl, sacrificing 'perfect' form for greater effort, especially on my last set of 6 reps. Stay tuned.
Labels:
Athletics,
Bodybuilding,
Memoirs and Friends
Monday, August 9, 2010
Gym regimen – August 2010
9 August 2010
Ur-Workout: 50+ mins
1. Bench press: 10, 8, 6, 6, 6 @ 50–70kg
2. Pullup: 12, 11, 11, 10 @ bodyweight
3. Barbell military press: 10, 8, 7 @ 25–40kg
4. Barbell curl: 10, 8, 6 @ 30–40kg
5. Dumbbell "Dutch door"/"Elbows out" tricep extension: 10, 8, 7 @ 12–17kg
[This, apparently, works the coveted "part of the tricep near the inside elbow," which enhances bench press over time. In a seated, semi-prone position, lower dumbells to chest and extend overhead. Like opening Dutch doors with the bottom part of your fists, see?]
6. Leg extension: 15, 15, 15 @ 20–40kg
[In lieu of the squat.]
7. Leg curl: 15, 15, 15 @ 15–25kg
8. Standing calf raise: N/A
[Moratorium on calf raises, due to injury, explained below.]
9. Kneeling rope pulldown: 20, 20, 30, 30 @ 73kg
10. Wrist curl: N/A
[To be done on an off-day.]
+++
I haven't updated my gym regimen in a while because I hurt my foot last weekend (I was being careless with my weight at high speed) and haven't gone back to the gym until this afternoon. I did two workouts at home last week, not without profit, but had to confine myself pretty much to upper body only. (And there goes my beloved rope jumping for a few weeks. Sad face.) I saw no reason to record the workouts from last week, since they were just some curls, chest flyes, presses, and the like for trying out a nice new little dumbbell set which a friend bequeathed to me.
It felt really nice to get back in the gym and I am happy to report that it seems the only thing I can't do for a while are squats, deadlifts, and calf raises, since the nature of my foot injury prevents me from pressing down too hard on the ball of my (left) foot. But I discovered I can still do leg extensions and curls, so we're basically still onboard. Hogh five!
Another reason I really enjoyed this workout is that I could get it done so quickly. Between my recent post about Mary's new knowledge and getting to work on time this afternoon, I knew today would be the perfect experiment to see if I could really keep the Ur-Workout to the advised time of 45-60 minutes. Even once my foot feels better again and I swap leg extensions out for squats, I can still get it done in under an hour. Another high five, on me!
Interestingly, I felt much stronger on the bench press. This is due to three things: 1) I have honed my bench press form, which enhances my efficiency for raising the weight; 2) I have actually gotten stronger with a week or two off from heavy lifting (after a month+ of heavy lifting); and 3) the weights at Central really may be eroded lighter than those at World Gym. I'm not discouraged by the third factor, since I must admit today was a lighter workout than I could have done. My first time with the Ur-Workout, I decided to play it safe. (But there will be blood, in due time, don't worry.) On my last set of bench press, for instance, I was still able (inadvertently) to raise the bar higher than one of the catches and accidentally swung the left head (!) over the catch till a guy pushed it back over for me. No high five this time, but it does show I can push myself a little harder next time. The guy who helped me was rather "big" but kept doing reps at a partial range of motion. Sigh.
Now, here's something interesting. In an earlier post, I noted how my left arm (esp. the tricep muscle) is weaker than my right arm. Today, however, a guy (yes, that partial-range-of-motion guy) helped me load plates on my last set of bench press… but left 2.5kg off the right side, which meant I did three reps heavier on my left arm. So my left arm got that much more of a challenge to bring it up to speed. (Forgive me: I'm a philosopher even about my muscles.) Add to this the fact that I have recently had to use my left tricep much more to take weight off my left foot, a kinesthetic bias which will only be sharpened during the 2.5 day hike up Taiwan's famous Jade Mountain
next Tuesday through Thursday. Also, while in that earlier post I admitted that dumbbells allow one to train weaker sides more precisely with variably heavier dumbbells, I could feel today how using barbells (esp. on the military press) also forces the weaker muscles to keep up with the stronger side, otherwise the barbell goes goofy and off-kilter. So there's room for everyone and everything at my table o' yikzercize!
Ah, so, after hearing Noam Chomsky lecture tomorrow morning at Qing Hua University in Xinzhu––about "poverty of the stimulus"––, I will be back in the gym for another Ur-Workout. Stay tuned. And keep sending me more donations. I mean, really, what else would you do with you procrastination that isn't flagrantly immoral, if not for FCA?
Ur-Workout: 50+ mins
1. Bench press: 10, 8, 6, 6, 6 @ 50–70kg
2. Pullup: 12, 11, 11, 10 @ bodyweight
3. Barbell military press: 10, 8, 7 @ 25–40kg
4. Barbell curl: 10, 8, 6 @ 30–40kg
5. Dumbbell "Dutch door"/"Elbows out" tricep extension: 10, 8, 7 @ 12–17kg [This, apparently, works the coveted "part of the tricep near the inside elbow," which enhances bench press over time. In a seated, semi-prone position, lower dumbells to chest and extend overhead. Like opening Dutch doors with the bottom part of your fists, see?]
6. Leg extension: 15, 15, 15 @ 20–40kg
[In lieu of the squat.]
7. Leg curl: 15, 15, 15 @ 15–25kg
8. Standing calf raise: N/A
[Moratorium on calf raises, due to injury, explained below.]
9. Kneeling rope pulldown: 20, 20, 30, 30 @ 73kg
10. Wrist curl: N/A
[To be done on an off-day.]
I haven't updated my gym regimen in a while because I hurt my foot last weekend (I was being careless with my weight at high speed) and haven't gone back to the gym until this afternoon. I did two workouts at home last week, not without profit, but had to confine myself pretty much to upper body only. (And there goes my beloved rope jumping for a few weeks. Sad face.) I saw no reason to record the workouts from last week, since they were just some curls, chest flyes, presses, and the like for trying out a nice new little dumbbell set which a friend bequeathed to me.
It felt really nice to get back in the gym and I am happy to report that it seems the only thing I can't do for a while are squats, deadlifts, and calf raises, since the nature of my foot injury prevents me from pressing down too hard on the ball of my (left) foot. But I discovered I can still do leg extensions and curls, so we're basically still onboard. Hogh five!
Another reason I really enjoyed this workout is that I could get it done so quickly. Between my recent post about Mary's new knowledge and getting to work on time this afternoon, I knew today would be the perfect experiment to see if I could really keep the Ur-Workout to the advised time of 45-60 minutes. Even once my foot feels better again and I swap leg extensions out for squats, I can still get it done in under an hour. Another high five, on me!
Interestingly, I felt much stronger on the bench press. This is due to three things: 1) I have honed my bench press form, which enhances my efficiency for raising the weight; 2) I have actually gotten stronger with a week or two off from heavy lifting (after a month+ of heavy lifting); and 3) the weights at Central really may be eroded lighter than those at World Gym. I'm not discouraged by the third factor, since I must admit today was a lighter workout than I could have done. My first time with the Ur-Workout, I decided to play it safe. (But there will be blood, in due time, don't worry.) On my last set of bench press, for instance, I was still able (inadvertently) to raise the bar higher than one of the catches and accidentally swung the left head (!) over the catch till a guy pushed it back over for me. No high five this time, but it does show I can push myself a little harder next time. The guy who helped me was rather "big" but kept doing reps at a partial range of motion. Sigh.
Now, here's something interesting. In an earlier post, I noted how my left arm (esp. the tricep muscle) is weaker than my right arm. Today, however, a guy (yes, that partial-range-of-motion guy) helped me load plates on my last set of bench press… but left 2.5kg off the right side, which meant I did three reps heavier on my left arm. So my left arm got that much more of a challenge to bring it up to speed. (Forgive me: I'm a philosopher even about my muscles.) Add to this the fact that I have recently had to use my left tricep much more to take weight off my left foot, a kinesthetic bias which will only be sharpened during the 2.5 day hike up Taiwan's famous Jade Mountain
next Tuesday through Thursday. Also, while in that earlier post I admitted that dumbbells allow one to train weaker sides more precisely with variably heavier dumbbells, I could feel today how using barbells (esp. on the military press) also forces the weaker muscles to keep up with the stronger side, otherwise the barbell goes goofy and off-kilter. So there's room for everyone and everything at my table o' yikzercize! Ah, so, after hearing Noam Chomsky lecture tomorrow morning at Qing Hua University in Xinzhu––about "poverty of the stimulus"––, I will be back in the gym for another Ur-Workout. Stay tuned. And keep sending me more donations. I mean, really, what else would you do with you procrastination that isn't flagrantly immoral, if not for FCA?
Labels:
Athletics,
Bodybuilding,
Memoirs and Friends
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Gym regimen – July 2010
July 31, 2010
I did a few minutes of jump rope and stretching, but my calves felt tired. Plus I knew I was only warming up for… AN ERG! I had decided to do another erg on the last day of my 7-day trial membership at World Gym, and––old habits die hard––my mind was sweating it and my stomach was in tiny knots all Saturday before I got to the gym. The erg I did last week was a lark, but this latest challenge was intentional and, moreover, driven by a desire to beat my previous time (7'32"). I did about 500m of warmup strokes at about 26 strokes per minutes. And then I hit it. I felt more tired than on the previous erg but I was determined to "punch it in." My strokes dipped to about 28 per minutes around 1000–1200m but I got it back up and then 'sprinted' at about 33spm for the last 500m. My time? 7'10" raw (6'39" adjusted!). Booyashaka. So, I accomplished my goal, and then did about 500m of cooldown. The problem now is that I must try to defeat my new PR the next time I get on an erg… which, while a grim prospect, is not likely to happen anytime soon. Working out at World Gym is the only way I know of to use an erg in Taichung, though someday I'd love to invest in one for my "home."
After the erg, I did three sets of bench press, finding with some delight that I did 2 reps at 80kg (176lb), which means I'm not so totally far from my college strength as I had feared. The problem is that my "A" workout had me doing 36 reps over 4 sets, which drained anything I had for power on, among other things, the bench. My Ur-Workout, which I plan to commence tomorrow, will have me doing at most 24 reps over three sets, so I should be able to get more volume and power… and, thus, strength… in the coming weeks.
After the bench, I did 4 sets of cable pulldowns (30 reps or so at about 50kg) for abs and serrati anterior. I also did a little decline bench and grip training. Melted in the hot tub and showered up. Met a Ukrainian guy, too, so maybe I'll try to learn Russian for the next five months while he's still in Taiwan.
Oh, yeah… earlier in the day I saw Inception and while it is technically excellent, I admit I found it longwinded and rather tiring. Despite my highly abstract nature, "concept movies" leave me flat much of the time. (My Dinner with André, for example, was good… but not that good.) I will, however, see it again, since allegedly seeing it again, but with gnosis about what's really happening (!!!), will totally alter one's perception of the film, and, of course (cue rousing timpani!), of REALITY ITSELF!!! I heard and thought the same would be true of DiCaprio's previous "gnostic mindfuck flick", Shutter Island, but in fact I loved it on my first viewing and found it tiresome and transparent on a second viewing. Unfortunately, Inception doesn't have the advantage of a deeply satisfying first viewing, so I hope a second viewing will catch me by surprise. Maybe I should have a coffee before I see it. Or maybe I'm just having a typical inverted-snobbish allergic reaction to way too much hype. Or maybe I should take a zolpidem and fight the delirium during the film so, verily, it will be like living a dream within a dream. (Anyone remember the Bad Idea Jeans skit on SNL about 20 years ago?!)
Stay tuned.
I did a few minutes of jump rope and stretching, but my calves felt tired. Plus I knew I was only warming up for… AN ERG! I had decided to do another erg on the last day of my 7-day trial membership at World Gym, and––old habits die hard––my mind was sweating it and my stomach was in tiny knots all Saturday before I got to the gym. The erg I did last week was a lark, but this latest challenge was intentional and, moreover, driven by a desire to beat my previous time (7'32"). I did about 500m of warmup strokes at about 26 strokes per minutes. And then I hit it. I felt more tired than on the previous erg but I was determined to "punch it in." My strokes dipped to about 28 per minutes around 1000–1200m but I got it back up and then 'sprinted' at about 33spm for the last 500m. My time? 7'10" raw (6'39" adjusted!). Booyashaka. So, I accomplished my goal, and then did about 500m of cooldown. The problem now is that I must try to defeat my new PR the next time I get on an erg… which, while a grim prospect, is not likely to happen anytime soon. Working out at World Gym is the only way I know of to use an erg in Taichung, though someday I'd love to invest in one for my "home."
After the erg, I did three sets of bench press, finding with some delight that I did 2 reps at 80kg (176lb), which means I'm not so totally far from my college strength as I had feared. The problem is that my "A" workout had me doing 36 reps over 4 sets, which drained anything I had for power on, among other things, the bench. My Ur-Workout, which I plan to commence tomorrow, will have me doing at most 24 reps over three sets, so I should be able to get more volume and power… and, thus, strength… in the coming weeks.
After the bench, I did 4 sets of cable pulldowns (30 reps or so at about 50kg) for abs and serrati anterior. I also did a little decline bench and grip training. Melted in the hot tub and showered up. Met a Ukrainian guy, too, so maybe I'll try to learn Russian for the next five months while he's still in Taiwan.
Oh, yeah… earlier in the day I saw Inception and while it is technically excellent, I admit I found it longwinded and rather tiring. Despite my highly abstract nature, "concept movies" leave me flat much of the time. (My Dinner with André, for example, was good… but not that good.) I will, however, see it again, since allegedly seeing it again, but with gnosis about what's really happening (!!!), will totally alter one's perception of the film, and, of course (cue rousing timpani!), of REALITY ITSELF!!! I heard and thought the same would be true of DiCaprio's previous "gnostic mindfuck flick", Shutter Island, but in fact I loved it on my first viewing and found it tiresome and transparent on a second viewing. Unfortunately, Inception doesn't have the advantage of a deeply satisfying first viewing, so I hope a second viewing will catch me by surprise. Maybe I should have a coffee before I see it. Or maybe I'm just having a typical inverted-snobbish allergic reaction to way too much hype. Or maybe I should take a zolpidem and fight the delirium during the film so, verily, it will be like living a dream within a dream. (Anyone remember the Bad Idea Jeans skit on SNL about 20 years ago?!)
Stay tuned.
Labels:
Athletics,
Bodybuilding,
Memoirs and Friends,
Movies
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