Sunday, November 5 | Daylight SAVING Time
Yup, the kitties made sure that I was awake at 5:59. As I knew Luke and I would be going for a hike later in the day I took him for a short walk around the neighborhood. He then joined me in the gym as I worked out.
5 RFT
5 strict knees to elbows + strict toes to bar (2 movements = 1 rep)
5/leg overhead (25#) walking lunges
10 Abmat sit-ups
Time = 9:36
Deceptively challenging, and my abs were on fire by the end of the workout. I was only able to complete the first 2 rounds of K2E and T2B in unbroken reps, and completed the remaining 3 rounds in reps of 3 & 2.
10 RFT
25 unbroken and unassisted air squats
Time = 7:27
Unassisted means that I kept my hands clasped and in front of my chin, i.e., I didn’t use arms to help propel me through air squats. I wisely wore weightlifting shoes to keep me grounded. This workout was as much mental as physical, as a round wouldn’t count if I didn’t complete 25 unbroken reps. In addition, I made sure that I worked at a steady pace and that I didn’t slow down during any round.
This was also an exercise in disassociation. For example, I’d count “One, two, three, four, five, 20 reps left, six, seven, eight, nine, 10, just 15 reps…”
I also, of course, ensured that I squatted below parallel and stood to full extension.
Luke and I did join Brian and Danielle for a very enjoyable walk in DuPont State Park. The foliage is stunning! We also enjoyed brunch.
I’ve come to realize that Luke off leash is better behaved than the mast majority of dogs on leash. And I don’t blame the dogs.
Yet another mass shooting. As the gunman is white, he’s not a terrorist. And, of course, there’s nothing that can be done. The second amendment is more important than human life, right? Right? This shit is getting old. AND, anyone who, you know, perpetrates a mass shooting has a mental illness. BUT, let’s not offer health care that also includes treatment for mental illness. Because guns.
Monday, November 6 | We Don’t Need Your Thoughts & Prayers
The bad kitties had we awake at 5 of the clock. You read that right. As once I’m awake I’m wide awake, I got my ass out of bed, fed Meg and Zac, read a few chapters of The Stone Sky, and then took Luke for a 5K walk around the neighborhood. I began my workout before 8!
As faithful readers know, I don’t follow any programming per se, e.g., Wendler, Outlaw, but instead make it up as I go along. I knew I was going to do push presses today, but hadn’t yet decided the rep scheme. I’ve been successful with starting with many reps at lighter weight and then working up to triples, doubles, or singles. I’ve also been successful with using the clock to ensure rest.
Strength
Push Press
Complete 1 rep every 90 seconds, beginning @ 95# and increasing weight 5# each round; then establish 1RM
My 1RM was 160, so I set a goal to push press 161#. Because overhead shit is heavy. I completed 12 reps, i.e., 95 to 155, and then put 161# on the barbell. The lift was a struggle, but ’twas successful. Yes, I recorded. I thought, “Just put 165 on the barbell and see what happens. You have a PR, so anything else is icing on the cake.”
Uhm, and 165 was easier than 161! And a 5# PR! I called it a day, and didn’t attempt anything heavier. Because I’m smart like that.
Conditioning
10 RFT
5 strict ring rows with pause at bottom
5 hang power snatches, 70#
Time = 8:03
Luke didn’t join me for today’s workout, as Jeff is home for the morning and Luke, well, wanted to spend time with him. And that’s okay. (But I did miss having him nearby.)
Tuesday, November 7 | Cholesterol
It was raining Zac & Megs & Lukes this morning, so Luke and I went for a short, brief, moist walk. He pooped, so there’s that. My annual physical wasn’t until 9:40, so I had plenty of time to work out. I couldn’t, however, eat before or after, as I had to fast for blood test.
Strength
Overhead Squats
Notice that no rep scheme was programmed. I haven’t focused on squats in a year, i.e., since surgery last November. I took the barbell from the rack. I focused on positioning hands a little bit farther away from collars. Squatting has felt fine, as has power snatching, so I knew it was time to once again attempt OHS. I went light today, completing sets of 5 @ 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, & 75 followed by set of 4 @ 80 & 85, 3 @ 90, & single @ 95#. I recorded all sets, as I’m always concerned that I’m not squatting below parallel. There was no doubt that I did so today. This is 45# less than PR—yet I’m delighted with performance! Yup, I’m going to be adding OHS into programming.
Conditioning
100 unbroken box jumps with 180° twist jump over
Time = 6:29
This was quite challenging, as I wasn’t allowed to rest. This doesn’t mean that I had to work at a blazingly fast pace, merely that I couldn’t rest for more than a moment at full extension (top of box) and I had to jump as soon as feet touched the ground.
Why box jumps? Uhm, because my quads were still a wee bit sore from Sunday’s workout. No better way to recover than to work out the soreness.
I get easily confused when it comes to anything evenly remotely related to math. As I began jump overs I consistently twisted toward the East wall of the garage so as to not always be twisting right or left. About 25 reps into the workout I thought, “Am I turning left or right each time?” So I began to mix things up, sometimes twisting East and other times twisting West. I didn’t get dizzy, so there’s that.
I have a relatively clean bill of health.
Vitals
Weight: 148 (Yup, I’ve gained 5# since the move to Asheville, and I don’t give a shit although I shit quite regularly.)
Height: 5’5.5″ (WTF? I’ve shrunk a half inch since the move!)
Pusle: 74 (Keep in mind that I had been awake for about 5 hours and had exercised.)
P. Oxygen: 93% (I have no idea what this means.)
BP: 104/68
Body Surface Area: 1.75m² (Huh?)
Body Mass Index: 24.34 kg/m² (Bordering on obese. Ha! That’s your laugh for today.)
Now the somewhat concerning news…
TC=258
HDL=64
TRG=106
LDL=173
non-HDL=194
LDL/HDL=2.7
I asked for a professional’s opinion. Since he wasn’t available, I asked Jaclyn. Here’s our exchange:
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