DEC 30 2009 - Tabata Deadlift

I'm running a day behind the CFFB site, which gave me plenty of time to dread this workout.

Strength
Power Snatch 5 sets of 3 reps (55kg)
Strict Pullups 3 sets for max reps (15,11,12)

Conditioning
Tabata Deadlift at 100kg/225#
8x[20sec DLs for max reps, 10sec rest]
(9,6,6,7,6,6,4,3 = 47 reps)

I used my new weightlifting shoes for the power snatches. They definitely make it easier to get into a deep overhead squat. In fact I think I did my first legitimate full squat snatch during my warm-up sets with 45kg. I wish I'd had it on video, but my camera battery was completely dead. Landing low in the new shoes is still taking some getting used to.

Tabata deadlifts are crazy hard. I'd done them before as part of a DL/burpee Tabata mash-up called "Death by Tabata." That was with 85kg and the relative rest of burpees every other round. By round six today my back was screaming at me (tired, not injured) and it took a lot of effort to keep picking up the bar. Glad of the rest day tomorrow.

DEC 29 2009 - Back in Chattanooga

Yesterday was a bonus rest day. My recovery has been poor due to lost sleep from travelling and lots of sugary holiday food. Now I'm on a one day delay from the CF FootBall site. I'll stay on the delay until the end of the week, rest Sunday, and be back in synch on Monday.

Strength
Squat 3 sets of 5 reps (99kg)
Press 3 sets (5,3,5 reps at 49kg)

Conditioning
As Many Reps As Possible
10x [1 min Sumo DL High Pull (20kg), 1 min Rest]
Goal = 300 reps

My pressing irked me. I don't know why I missed 2 reps on the 2nd set. The last rep of set 3 was ugly, too. The squat went fairly well, I'm starting to get the hang of the belt and shoes.

The conditioning workout got scary reviews in the CFFB comments section yesterday, so I thought I'd be well below 300 reps. Turned out I got 342. I'm guessing there's a disconnect between using the C2 rowing machine and my sumo deadlift high pulls with a kettlebell. I'd love to do this workout on a C2 and compare my score.

DEC 26 2009 - Tabata Run

Strength
Squat 3 sets of 5 reps (215# / ~97kg)
Bench Press 3 sets of 5 reps (180# / ~81kg)

Conditioning
Tabata Treadmill Run
8x [20sec running, 10sec rest]
at 15% incline, 7.7 mph

I squatted in my new weightlifting shoes and used my new belt. The support felt good, but I wasn't used to the increased pressure in my face. My face actually tingled from all the extra blood in my head. I contracted slightly less on subsequent sets and experienced no ill effects. It makes me wonder about using the belt, though. I'm most excited to try it on the next really heavy deadlifts I do.

The Tabata run was extremely hard after squatting heavy. I called it quits after seven rounds, since my feet started coming off the back of the treadmill. I had no desire to be flung accross the YMCA.

DEC 24 2009 - New Shoes!

Thanks to a family member's travel plans we got to open Christmas presents early. (Thanks Courtney!) What was waiting in that shiny box for yours truly? A brand new pair of Rogue Do-Win size 10s! (Thanks Mom & Dad!)

I got to play with my new shoes at the local YMCA, since it is a facility enlightened enough to have bumper plates and rubber flooring. I put 40kg on the bar and pulled a trial squat clean and promptly pitched forward and dropped the weight. Grrr. Second try I overcompensated and almost fell on my butt. I pushed the weight out front and stepped back to save myself the indignity of winding up on my back under the bar. But really, 0 for 2? I tried a few more squat cleans before realizing that I wasn't going to be able to put up any serious weight today.

I played around with power cleans and worked up to a 70kg power clean & jerk. Next I tried power snatches and overhead squats. Again, my balance was off for the overhead squats. At least I was ready for it.

After 30 minutes of play, I'm really happy with the shoes. The power transfer through my shoes felt solid on all the pulls. I just have to work on the new landing platform and adjust my balance. I recommend that anyone lifting in new shoes take a couple sessions to work on balance at really light practice loads before trying to lift heavy in them. After a few more sessions in the new clogs I'll post a full review.

DEC 23 2009 - Why I hate Mirrors

No, it's not 'cause I'm ugly, but nice try. I hate mirrors in the weight room because they mess with my balance. I learned to squat by reading Mark Rippetoe's excellent book Starting Strength, and he is vehement about looking at a spot on the ground six to ten feet ahead while squatting. His reasoning is that it makes balancing a little easier to have a fixed reference point at about that distance. Since reading that I have not squatted at a facility with mirrors right in front of the squat rack. Until today.

When I squat at home I have a little water mark on the wall that I like to focus on. At the YMCA, the mirror stopped at about the same height as my happy little water mark, so I picked a spot just below the mirror as a point of reference. As soon as I started squatting, I saw myself move in my peripheral vision and couldn't stop from looking up. I wound up with my weight too far back and wobbled a bit in the bottom. Fortunately, this was my first warm-up set, and I had about four more sets to correct my tendency to look up.

But the mirror made it so hard to not look up. It seemed there were two types of distracting thoughts runnning through my head. One is the visceral "look out for danger" response that I have to anything moving in my peripheral vision. The other is more cerebral. I want to check my form. Are my knees staying out? Is my chest up? Did my lower back round at the bottom? It was actually easier to ignore the distractions caused by the mirror once the weight got heavy. The last two reps of each work set were hard enough that all I could think about was driving up.

But I still hate the mirrors. The only reason they're in the weight room is so the boys doing their alternate dumbbell bicep curls can 1) make sure they're flexing their glutes or 2) make sure someone else in the gym is looking at their glutes.

Strength
Squat 3sets of 5 reps (210# / ~95kg)

Conditioning
As Quickly As Possible: 100 Pullups
(7:35)

DEC 22 2009 - Bench Reunion

My last bench press was sometime in September, so I wasn't sure how today would go. I was, however, very happy to have the opportunity to push more than I can press overhead. I used the equipment at the local YMCA, so my weights are in pounds.

Strength
Bench Press: 3 sets of 5 reps at 175# (~79kg)
Deadlift 5 Rep Max: 315# for 3 reps (~142kg)

Benching felt good. I'd like to be able to do as much benching as the CF Football site programs. It is a very satisfying movement.

The deadlift concerned me. I didn't expect it to be as hard as it was. What I had forgotten is that at home I have a 25mm bar, while the bar at the Y was either a 28 or 30mm powerlifting bar. The extra grip diamter made holding on difficult. I used a mixed grip (one hand pronated, one hand supinated) and alternated which hand was supinated each rep.

DEC 20 2009 - Travel Workout

We were on the road for the holidays, so I made up a kettlebell workout. The heavy lifting will have to wait until I get near a gym.

Conditioning
As Many Rounds As Possible in 15 minutes:
1 Round =
. 2 KB Thrusters (1 per arm)
. 5 KB Swings
. 4 KB Thrusters (2 per arm)
. 10 KB Swings
. 6 KB Thrusters (3 per arm)
. 15 KB Swings

I used a 24 kg kettlebell, which felt very heavy. I spent more time catching my breath than I would have liked, but it was probably good for me. I finished 3 complete rounds and got all of the fourth except the last 15 swings.

I spent yesterday driving, and I'll do the same tomorrow, so it was great to have a workout. If you're travelling by car a kettlebell or dumbbell is a handy impromptu workout tool. Bring it along. For a wide variety of workout options google "kettlebell complex" for a host of different workout schemes. My travel kit consists of a kettlebell, rings, a jumprope, and a programmable timer.