Sunday, May 27, 2012

Apparently, a lot of people take Sundays off from working out.  I was glad to have taken my rest day (days?) earlier this week after seeing less than 5 people in the gym at the same time as me.  It gave me the freedom to monopolize as many weights as I wanted.  I used some of my creativity for the workout today, and I rather enjoyed it in a mildly masochistic sort of way.  After rowing to warm up for 5 minutes, I got started, resting as little as possible between sets for max suckage:

100 push ups for time

90 weighted situps, 25-lb plate

80 lunges

70 pull ups

60 air squats

50 leg lifts

40 back extensions

30 overhead barbell press, 45-lb bar

20 kettlebell swings, 45-lb bell

10 burpees

The bad thing about today’s workout?  It involves a lot of counting and paying attention, two things I’m terrible at.  Nevertheless, I made it through and completed the correct amount of reps per set, I’m fairly sure.  I rather enjoyed my creation today, and may keep it in my back pocket for a later day.

Tomorrow I’m taking a break from the gym to go running early in the morning, before it gets searingly hot.  It’s been a couple weeks since my last run, but I’m hoping the 2,500-foot decrease in elevation will make it as enjoyable as possible.  I’m excited, stay tuned.

Saturday, May 26, 2012

I put off my workout until about 8:45 pm today.  By that time, I was all but bouncing off the walls and ready to go.  I was feeling some mild frustrations with my workouts, thinking that I have a lot more in me to give at the gym, and started thinking of ways to up the intensity.  I don’t really rest much between sets as it is, but I went ahead and cut out my ‘breathing’ time and threw in some burpees, and I was feeling the burn quite a bit more.

Round 1:

1. Suitcase deadlifts 3 x 5 each side.  I’ve gotten significantly stronger since the last time I did these.  Good form is critical, as are bumper plates.

2. Push up variation 3 x failure.  I did elevated, diamond, and grappler push ups; all are good variations to work your upper body and core alike.

3. Pull ups 3 x failure.  I downgraded to my smallest Elite FTS band today, and was able to do about 5-6 per set.

Between rounds I knocked out 10 burpees; enough to get my heart rate up.

Round 2:

1. Ring body curls 3 x 12.  These used to be so hard for me, but now they only seem moderately difficult.  Maybe I need to throw on the body armor next time…

2. Push press 3 x 10.

3. Floor pull ups 3 x 12.  Gymnastic rings rock for these.

After finishing up I did 10 more burpees, just for fun, then moved on to farmer carries.  I grabbed a 35-lb plate and a 45-lb kettlebell and trudged through 5 glorious minutes.  I think I love the exercise simply because it sucks so much.

And to top it all off, I hopped on the elliptical machine for 20 minutes to get my heart rate up before calling it a night.  I was a bit distracted by a bat (yes, a bat) that was frantically flying all over the gym.  This place is so strange.

Friday, May 25, 2012

I wasn’t feeling too creative with today’s workout, but I still got some good gym time in.  I definitely believe that working out, followed by a hot shower, is the favorite part of my day (the second favorite being meal times, closely followed by nap time[s]).  Here’s what I did today:

Round one:

1. Bulgarian split squat 3 x 10 each leg.  These are basically lunges with the back leg elevated on a bench or plyo box.  I used 20-lb weights in each hand.

2. Push press 3 x 10.  Some meatheads stole the bar I had prepped for overhead press, and I wasn’t feeling confrontational, so I grabbed some 25-lb dumbells for this.  Maybe I shouldn’t be so nice.

3. Floor pull ups 3 x 12.  I used gymnastic rings and quite a bit of chalk.  Good to go.

Round two:

1. Box jumps 5 x 10, 24″ box. Jumping is fun.

2. Pull ups 5 x 10.  I switched my grip for each round (overhand, neutral, and chin up)

3. Leg lifts 5 x 30.  Each round consists of 10 sets of leg lifts to the left, middle, and right, laying supine on a bench.

After completing the two rounds, I moved on the some good ‘ole farmer carries.  I can tell that my grip strength and forearm strength have increase exponentially since I was introduced to these back in December.  I decided to up the intensity a bit from what I usually do, and grabbed a 35-lb plate (usually I go for 25-lbs) and a 40-lb dumbell, chalked up, and walked back and forth for 5 minutes, until I hit muscle failure and nearly dropped the plate on my toe.

Increasing the number of rounds from 3 to 5 for the second half of the workout helped up to up the intensity, and finishing with farmer carries always obliterates any strength I have left in my arms afterwards.  Hopefully I’ll be looking more like Popeye and less like Olive Oyl when I come home.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Today I tried something a bit different with my workout.  Instead of completing my usual 6-exercise circuits, I decided to overwhelm myself with tabatas.  Tabatas are 4-minute interval training exercises; you exercise for 20 seconds, and then rest (or “actively rest”) for 10 seconds, repeating continuously until the four minutes are complete.  Here’s how it went:

Pull up tabata.  These felt…awesome?  It was hard, but not quite as hard as I predicted.  I changed my grip each interval to mix it up.

Front squat tabata.  I used a 45-lb bar for this one.

Push up tabata.  Have I ever mentioned how much I hate push ups?  I always struggle.

Sit up tabata.  I plastered a 25-lb plate to my chest, and “rested” with my body at a 45 degree angle to the ground.

Calf raise tabata.  I did these with 15-lb dumbells in each hand.

After finishing those rounds and baptizing the floor around me with sweat, I jumped rope for 5 minutes (my coordination was on the downhill slop at this point), then completed 10 minutes on a torture device known as the Versa Climber.  It’s kinda like a stair stepper, only much, much worse.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Unfortunately, I don’t have anything pithy or interesting to share about today’s workout.  I did think about quitting halfway, however (bad bad bad!); my meat-eating after 8 months as a vegetarian has been destroying my stomach, and I felt terrible.  But, I pushed through and had a great workout.

1. Super legs 3 x (16 forward lunges, 16 backwards lunges, 12 jumping lunges, 16 air squats, 10 jumping squats)

2. Push up variation 3 x failure.  I did offset hands pushups, diamond push ups, and side to side moving push ups.

3. Renegade row 3 x 16.

Round two:

1. Deadlift 3 x 5

2. Pull ups 3 x failure

3. In and out abs 3 x 25

That’s all for today!

Monday, May 21, 2012

A Little Humor For Your Monday

Here’s a few little pieces of Afghan…interestingness…to brighten your day!

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Freaky, freaky, freaky.

I’m not really sure what the Romanians were going for with this poster in the bathroom.

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Mom, I promise the stray dogs had all their shots!

This was on our door after we returned from the shower. Very appropriate.

Translation: don’t flush the toilet paper.

 

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Today I completed one of my hardest and most sweat-inducing workouts yet: the aptly named Filthy Fifty.  This is a CrossFit workout introduced to me several weeks ago, and the name does it justice.  Each exercise is to be completed before moving on to the next exercise, and the goal is to complete it in the shortest time possible.  Without further introduction, here’s the workout:

50 box jumps, 24-in box

50 jumping pull ups.  I did regular pull ups due to the extreme height of the available bar.

50 kettlebell swings, 35 lbs

50 walking lunges

50 knees to elbows.  While dead hanging on a pull up bar, bring your knees into your elbows.  These hurt.  Use chalk, and don’t forget to breathe.

50 push press, 20 lb dumbells.  At this point in the workout sweat was running in rivers down my arms.  I used quite a bit of chalk.

50 back extensions.  If you don’t have a back extension apparatus, you can substitute by holding a plate on your chest and bending forward at the waist until your torso is 90 degrees to your legs and repeating.

50 wall ball shots, 6 lb ball.  My options were either 6 lbs or 20 lbs, and I was shaking too much from the push presses to even think about tossing and catching 20 lbs over my face.

50 burpees.  These. Make. Me. Want. To. Die.  At this point, I probably looked something like a flailing fish trying to get through these tortuous exercises.  I was literally leaving showers of sweat on the floor.

50 double-unders.  If you still have any semblance of fine motor skills at this time, you can attempt 50 of these with a regular jump rope (the rope goes under your body twice per every jump).  If you’re merely human, you can substitute 100 regular jumps or 50 regular jumps with a weighted rope, which is what I did.

After completing the above workout in 44 min and 22 seconds, I collapsed into a sweaty heap on the floor, every muscle in my body unwilling to keep me standing.  It was only after downing 2 bottles of water and a bottle of Gatorade that I regained coherent thought processes.  Thank God for endorphins, otherwise, all this self-punishment might not be worth it.  We’ll see how I feel tomorrow.

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Today I decided to take an “active rest” day.  I’ve been pushing myself pretty hard in the gym the last couple days; my lower back was hurting today to the extent that I felt the need to take some Advil.  I’m sure it’s from sleeping on the Army-issue cot that I have for a bed right now.  So, I completed 30 minutes on the elliptical machine to work up a nice sweat, then got a good stretch in.  The best part of my workout?  Walking in and seeing a military working dog running on a treadmill, supervised by his handler.  Only in Afghanistan.

Friday, May 18, 2012

So, before I get into today’s workout, I thought I would share some of my favorite things that help me get the most out of my gym time.

1. Clif Shot Energy Gel in Chocolate flavor.  I have a serious sweet tooth, and this stuff tastes like straight fudge frosting, minus the sugar headache.  It’s caffeine-free and is a great pre-workout boost.

2. Elite FTS Pro Resistance Bands.  The light and mini bands are awesome for pull up training as well as a variety of other exercises.  I don’t know what I ever did without them.

3. Endurox R4.  This is a great post-workout supplement that provides a 4:1 carb to protein ratio to help make the most out of your recovery.  I like to freeze mine into a slushie and drink it after a long run in the heat.

4.  New Balance Minimus.  These are my new favorite shoes; they combine the best of my other two favorite shoes–Nike Frees and Vibram Five Fingers, without making you look like a strange swamp monster.

5.  And now, for my top five workout songs!  Feel free to laugh at my song choices.            1. Yeah 3x by Chris Brown.  Reminding me to throw away my cares and just dance.                                                                                                               2. Radioactive by Kings of Leon.  Must be something in the water.                                                                                                      3. Whip my Hair by Willow.  How can you not want to whip your hair to this song?                                                                                                            4. We Found Love by Rihanna.  This was way overplayed on the radio, but I still love it.                                                                                                         5. Thunderstruck by AC/DC.  I play this during the home stretch of my long runs.

And now, that brings us to today’s Workout:  I’ve included the link to the video and instructions, because explaining it takes way too long.  I used 25 lb dumbells and had to fight the whole time.  No freebies today!  Afterwards, I knocked out 50 pull ups, 10 at a time, using standard grip, reverse grip, and neutral grip to mix things up.

My workout was rewarded by some much-craved delicious ice cream after dinner and a shower with unlimited hot water.  No complaints here.  I may only have a few more days of these luxuries, so I’m going to enjoy them while I can!

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Today I scoped out the gym in my new home for the next week.  I was impressed–by far it’s the nicest gym I’ve seen in this country.  I noticed immediately that it was lacking the fine layer of “moon dust” that covers absolutely every surface of Afghanistan.  The second thing I noticed were rowing machines, the first I’ve seen here.  I also made note of a huge rack of kettle bells, plenty of free weights, and multiple racks.  I think I stood around with my mouth open for a minute before I was able to focus and get to work.

Here’s what I did:

5 minute warmup (about 1000m) on the rowing machine at level 6.  Good form is key.

Then, 3 rounds of the following:

Medicine ball squat tosses x 20.  I used a 20-lb ball.  Don’t let it fall on your face.

Push up variation x failure.  If you plan to do pushups on the aforementioned ball, don’t let your face fall on the ball.

Medicine ball sit ups x 25

After my three rounds, I rowed for another five minutes to get my heart rate up a little more.  Then, I did three more rounds of:

Weighted walking lunges x 20.  I used 20 lb weights in each hand.  I may have cheated myself a little here with the weight.

Push press x 12.  I used the same 20 lb weights; maybe a little too light

Leg lifts x 30

Then, to top things off, I picked up my favorite weights to farmer carry–a 40lb dumbell and 25lb plate, and carried them around the gym for 5 minutes, switching hands as my forearms and fingers seized up.  I tried my hardest to keep my expression of pain to myself.

To finish my workout, I rowed for 10 minutes (about 2000m), “sprinting” for 200m, then moderately rowing for 100m until reached 2000m.

I think tomorrow I’m going to have to up my weights and/or intensity.  The 2,000-foot elevation drop is making my workouts feel much easier, and I can definitely push myself some more.