Adonis in the making

[amilcarkabral]

Well, mayhap that's a magnificent goal, but i'll just settle for a coupla cuts in my pudgy stomach.

I hear this is the place to post one's training logs. So i'll post mine almost daily, cuz i've got not much better to do with my time than type away drivel on this forsaken black box (got dell?).

27yo, I weigh in around 160, stand at 5'8 1/2". I've got a little gut that i affectionately refer to as baby fat because i've had it since i was a young lad. My nutrion program has pretty much been scavenging for food for the last coupla years (college diet) including a 3-year stint as a vegetarian, now i'm a meat-and mashed potatoes kinda guy who'll still down some bean curd szechuan in a new york minute.

I've never done an exercise program excepting my competitive swimming and paltry attempts at competitive tennis in pre-pubescent years (oh so long ago). However, despite that i do have a rather cut shape for someone who does little to no overt exercise. In the summers i'll walk or bike all around town (eight mile shopping treks with walkman and water) as well as swim a mile or two a week while lifeguarding. I tend to walk frequently in any weather blah blah blah.

No kettleballs. No marital arts. What kinda life is that? i know!!!


Goals Section:
I need to make some performance goals instead of weight/bmi goals because i'm just not schooled in that kinda thing.

Concerns:
One of my primary concerns is that my weight doesn't interfere with my swimming or tennis. I also want to develop a body for flow-fighting. Because i didn't do much land-based sport, I have very little lower-body flexibility. I don't want to overdo the body-flow exercises because i get thrilled in thinking about the stretch and movement that i sometimes may go out of my muscular range of learning (i.e. pain later).

Aesthetic Considerations:
A six pack for sure, and i'm not talking lager! (well that too)
Improve balance and grace in my Capoeira practice

Tools:
My mind-body
Body-Flow videos
15 lb Clubbells (sure they arend 45's?)
Capoeira classes

Beginning Performance Goals: (one month)
Increase grip endurance to sustain 100 reps of something -right now i can do about 35 various swings (each hand) choked up 2/3 of the way.
Max-out my range of motion through each Clubbell swing

Intermediate Performance Goals: (three months)
Work on form
Choke down on the Clubbell
Increase speed of swings while maintaining my ability to 'stop on a dime'
Two-week drill rotations (only swings, only casts, etc. repeat) for four circuits (12 weeks)
In short: create an actual program

Longterm Performance Goals
Combination routines via the tape
Make up my own combination routines
Create

Body-Flow Goals
Short-term: 5 BME's per week (6 weeks x3 cycles = 4.5 months)
Intermediate: 2 Kinetic chains per week (5 weeks x 3 cycles = 4 months)
Long-term: achieve Scott's egg-like fluidity

Nutritional Goals:
Increase my daily intake of protein to abou 125g per diem
Get more vegetables in my diet (a salad a day keeps a colonoscopy away)
And of course! Drink more . . . water that is

Sincerely,
Amilcarkabral

[amilcarkabral]

It burns. My forearms burn that is. I can only swing my 15's about 35 times until my left hand starts to loose purchase. So i stopped after the first set. My thougths of going endurance for the first time went down the tubes. So i walked to the store to buy some bread and jam (have peanutbutter) so i can up my protein naturally (cheaper than balance bars:).

My second set went well. But i didn't do the third because i wanted to be able to grip my pants so i can pull them on tomorrow before i go to work.

No insights about endurance. No insights about core strength.

Just learning to churn butter.

Note to self: do not tie the clubbell to forearm, work on grip strength.

Amilcar

[amilcarkabral]

Thursday? okay, i think i haven't posted in like two days. So let me tell you what changed (so far) about my training. Well, I'm still in love with the Clubbells and will be until i can swing them like Obi Wan Kinobi did just before he got impaled by the black-and-red dude.

I'm doing sets of five, three times daily, sporadically, so no endurance here. Reminder: i'm working on grip strength, endurance ain't got on my block to ring the doorbell yet.

Instead of doing the mills (lateral swing) reverse mills, armpit casts and side-armpit casts alternating hands, i moved to doing the sequence side-by side. So i'm doing mills and reverse mills five times, park. Then i do swinging call to order, 1/2 armpit cast (to the rear), side armpit cast (full), back to order and swing back to park, all this five times. After this sequence i repeat on the other side. Then i take a short break and repeat.

I like this because when i roll onto the floor at the butt-crack of dawn to go to work, i can get some quick energy and focus with the same 'grind' at three reps instead of five.

'til the next episode of churning butter.



Amilcar

[amilcarkabral]

I noticed in the last few days that my grip strength feels like it's the only thing working. I noticed that grip strength is much more subtle and pervasive in these exercises as i thought. I haven't really been feeling my shoulders working much, just my grip strengthening. I don't thin i'll feel it in my shoulders until my grip can 'crush granite'.

I also noticed that i've been cheating my grip out of a heck of a workout. I noticed that when i cast (forward and side) i am calculating to drop the clubbell into a groove instead of acting like it's a throw. This demands that my grip strength is building on the cast's push, but not as much for slowing down the weight.

I've moved up to about 45 different kinds of swings per set, with about four sets per diem carped.

Amilcar

[amilcarkabral]

Unfortunately i haven't been doing body-flow. I suck. I know. Enough about that.

Nutritional goals:
I have increased my protein intake so i can rebuild and build muscle. I've also increased the amount of water going through my body to a little more than half-a-gallon each day. Slowly and steadily i'm eating more vegetables, but that's not a systematic thing. Part of my better eating habits are a result of a healthy-eating ladyfriend allovasuden liking to cook, hence my meals got better. Some fruits are thrown into this collage.

Clubells (15 lbs):
In another thread i've said that i constructed a "severely-crippling march" which is half the volume of a regular deathmarch (50 reps). I'm currently at 10 sets of 50 reps in ten minutes. So i'm following the double density deathmarch in that i'm using a mourning and afternoon session becaue i'm evolving myself into one of the people who can't distinguish whether i "train to live or live to train).

My form is smooth as a baby's bottom until about 30 reps and starts to deteriorate at about 37 reps. I think i'm cheating the rest time because on a 10-onethousand count the next rep starts.

Experientially i feel as though i could probably bully through a straight 50 rep set, but i'll work though the progressive schedule outlined in C4 to maintain my form. By the way, i'm doing the Iron Cross (if that's the name of the pose then i'm doing the combination routine that goes: park-swipe to back-side cast- back- swipe to park, repeat ad infintum).

RPE:6
RT:8.5

After those sessions and a little rest i feel as though i want to do more. So i move to a double-grip and do windmills. You know, the exercise where we add weight to side-front-side-back bends. I do it in both directions and alternate double-handed grips. So basically i do four sets with the 15 lbs.

RPE:8.5
RT:5

I forgot to mention, the reason i didn't do any body-flow or capoiera yesterday right after my clubbells is that on my like third X (when you're lying down and swing your legs over your head and back - Barnes's 5 minute miracle move) i got stung by something in my righ forearm. I have to check the ground for underground nests of bees, yellowjackets and ants or something before i do that again. But it didn't hurt that much because they were already stinging from the clubbell workout.

Amilcar

ps: amilcar- you've gotta get the terminology down)

[Scott Sonnon]

What does your meal timing look like, and how's your breakfasts?

[amilcarkabral]

I usually get a hot sausage and some tea for breakfast. Hey, it's protein ain't it?! So what about the white-bread bun!

If i don't have the $2.00 that the sausage and tea cost at the donut store (yeah, the sausage and tea don't sound so bad compared to the loads of jelly-filled and creme filled mini-heartattacks huh?) i usually eat a balance bar (mint-chip gold-the best) that i hopefully remembered to pack with me or get one at the Acme later in my jouney to work.

As you can see I'm a grazer. During the day I don't do three regular meals. But, at work if anyone goes to Wendy's i get 5 nuggets and two cheese burgers or soemthing like that.

In the last three weeks i've been throwing back about three PB&J's a day after about 4:00 pm. When i don't get that not-so-yummy lunch.


Coach: I've read a general rubric for eating meals is
mornings-protein
noon-carbs
evening-vegetable
night- fruit

this is supposedly organized according to the human biorhythm. Early in the day we have/need the most energy so it makes sense to eat the most digestion-intensive foods. Late in the day it's better to eat lighter foods, vegetables and fruits, because our body's done the work for the day and down-shifting for sleep and regeneration.

But that doesn't stop me from eating protien after dark. Any quick recommendations about when and what to eat.

Amilcar

[Scott Sonnon]

If you want long term consistent progress, go get Performance Nutrition (http://www.circularstrength.com/cbnutrition.html): order the book, get the shake and get the vitamin.

You can start by recording your daily food intake and timing with your training log. Increase your breakfast protein, and have it within an hour of waking.

[amilcarkabral]

Hey, i slacked on sunday. i only did the morning session. Because i felt a little jumpy i tried to do 10-rep sets without meeting the middle-man "6 thru 9". i almost failed around the thirty-seven rep mark. Rather i should say i was chugging through, but my grip failed. Not too shabby if i do say so myself.

To compensate for the disappointment i added in the other two exercises i'll be doing from the ABC manual, the Hammer throw and the Clockwork Squat. i did 15 hammer throws in both directions with both grips, which turns out to be 60 swings. That would sound good if i had anything heavier than the 15's.

I did about 30 clockwork squats. That's a shaky number because i haven't figured how to count them yet, and i wasn't actually trying to count them. i did both grips about 15 times, which counts out to about 8 or 7 per side.


My Questions:
How far forward and backward should i bend when doing the Hammer Throw? The C4 manual has Coach Szolek being rather upright, but i don't know whether to attribute that to the brutal weight of the Bruiser or that's proper form.

My inner pansy's questions
Well, i consulted my inner pansy Coach Sonnon, and he's agree'd that i'll make him eat more protein (as if he had a choice, the lil chump). But he asked whether eating an hour after getting up involved actually getting out of bed or just opening one's eyes. His rationale was a question of bio-rhythm vs. activity . . . since eating protein speeds up your metabolism he, and now i, want to know if eating more protein closer to waking is to augment your metabolism in general or to get you active in specific.
Amilcar

[amilcarkabral]

Well, i'm reporting my first session, which went over late (just finished) 2:45 because i wasn't home last night, and i had a lot of errands to run this morning.

Anyway.

Cross Bow
I cheated and did seven sets of seven iron crosses. which is one shy of the 50 mark but close enough for me. Today's later session i'll go over one set. My RPE was about a 7 and my RT about an 8.5. My grip wanted to fail but i said i wouldn't let it, in reply it throbbed through the fourth through seventh sets.

Hammer Throw
60 total. 30 per grip, fifteen each direction.
RPE-6 RT-9
I'm going to have to amp this up. This feels like a great candidate for a deathmarch, not just a severely crippling hobble. i love how it works the core. Because i was curious last session i bent more for a couple swings and the swings felt both stable and smooth. However, the more i bend the easier it is to get dizzy, but just as easy to correct when i focus on one point instead of swing my head around with the weight. i think its easy because i'm "only" working with 15 pounds. Wait until i go for speed! this exercise more than any has me very aware of my performance breathing. i catch myself breathing intentionally and have to stop it and let the motion breathe me, it's annoying so far but hopefully my stomach'll catch on.

Clockwork Squats
40 total. Twenty each grip, ten each side.
RPE-5 RT-9
My RT would be better but i realized a couple of squats through that i wasn't dipping down very far. I tried to tell myself it was because the weight wasn't heavy enough (RPE not RT), but then i realized that it didn't matter because i could relax into the squat anyway. i just moved my RT up to 9 from 8 when i remembered how well i caught the weight on my neck's soft tissue and not my collar bone.

Question: how do i get more out of my clockwork Squats with the same weight? jump?

Amilcar

note to self: when finished the severely crippling hobble, don't change the routine for a week or two, take that time to go for speed. one week rest, while still doing hammer throws and clockwork squats. then start a new hobble.

[amilcarkabral]

It's been about a month since my last post, so i guess i should tell you about my incremental progress. :?

Eating habits:
I've been getting most of my protein for the last two or more weeks thanks to a protein packed breakfast and sporadic eating during the day. I need to amp up the vegetables and fruits though. Just ordered Protein not Prozac :lol: yesterday and will start on that when it gets here.

CST:
i've moved to 5 sets of 10 reps of the cross-bow on my severely crippling death march (50 reps as a goal instead of 100). My grips holding up better now. I would be much further than this number of reps but i found that i wasn't locking my arms out in the iron cross and i wasn't exploding out of the back position. I'm doing two sessions per workout day (sun, tues, thurs) for the double-density workout with some light swimming on the off days to break up the tension in my musculature.

I'm also doing numerous hammer throws and clockwork squats. I may play around with doing them with both my 15's instead of just double-gripping one because they don't feel taxing to my core or legs. Pray i don't bonk myself eh?

BF:
no show. About a week ago i hyperextended my right knee and have been very careful about putting weight on it. I stopped my BF because of it to give it a rest. i'll start back up

Logging:
No, not chopping wood. I started a training and eating log to report my progress. i've been using that to document and complain about my progress, or lack thereof, in lieu of this forum.

[amilcarkabral]

So after a long hiatus i figured out what was missing. and it wasn't the 20-25 extra pounds i put on from when i started reading/posting oh so long ago!

I have the body-flow tapes, the CST tapes, a pair of 15lb clubbells and the CCC book and body-flow book. After all that dough, i thougth i'da been working out. The tapes and stuff weren't missing. . . .

I figured out what was missing. . .


Partnership and community!


I'm starting to viscerally get what Scott means "Alone. . . Together"


So, i did what any aspiring adonis in philadelphia would do (and guys-and connie:), i really do say that with tongue in cheek). . . I joined Maxercise. I signed up for the monthly use of the gym. I've been going for a week now, and it's positively delicious pain the next day!

I start off with a 10 min running warmup a couple basic situps (30), dips (5) and wide-grip pullups(5). But that's now why i'm really there. Then i go upstairs to the mats. . . that's where the real workout begins. . . or will begin once i get some wind!!!

Today though, I did get a chance to pick up the bruiser. It's magnificent. I double-handed cleaned-to-order it with both grips about five times, then i did windmills five times, each grip, both directions (5x2x2=20 circles). I realized how punishing that thing is. I picked up the 15lbers to do a quick thing or two next, but before i got to 20 swings (swipes i think) i realized that my grip was shaky. So i put those down and rolled around on the floor. i'm working up to do a couple laps of short-leg creeps and the thinggy where you stand on a knee and swing your other foot around, repeat. After that i do a couple other moves whose names escape me. When i build a routine, i'll post it and get the terminology across. . . which reminds me, i have to get my first BF tape back . . stupid generosity:?

In the near future, i'm going to start some of the Judo classes. I'm a little scared to do the BJJ from none other than Steve Maxwell for two reasons. The first is i'm not in condition. The second is that i'll get my ass whupped. Apparently the local artsy paper dubbed Maxercise the "best place in philly to get your ass kicked regularly". i did meet Steve. He exudes endless energy. So i'm actually admiting my fear-reactivity. sob and group hug right?

So if any one has any hints, tips or anything about accelerated learning of Judo, just post here or send me a private msg.

alone . . . no more
Byron

[Randell Waddell]

It is good to see you back into exercise again.

R. :D

[Rob Hand]

In the near future, i'm going to start some of the Judo classes. I'm a little scared to do the BJJ from none other than Steve Maxwell for two reasons. The first is i'm not in condition. The second is that i'll get my ass whupped. Apparently the local artsy paper dubbed Maxercise the "best place in philly to get your ass kicked regularly". i did meet Steve. He exudes endless energy. So i'm actually admiting my fear-reactivity. sob and group hug right?

So if any one has any hints, tips or anything about accelerated learning of Judo, just post here or send me a private msg.

alone . . . no more
Byron

Hi. My advice, FWIW, is to jump in! You can't accelerate learning Judo or BJJ without taking the first step. Based on reading your posts, I think that you will not be the least prepared person on the mat. Your mat time will inspire your personal practice.

[amilcarkabral]

Randy and Handy (booo! byron's corny!!!):
thanks for the encouragement.

Even though i realize that partnership and comraderie enhance my working out, i haven't been working out with anyone, and i kinda like the alone-exploration time. I am also scared of all the big machines downstairs which in my mind rip your musculature into peices (pun intended). I went to the gym twice this week and four times last week. I teach, so i had last week off. My thought about the subject is that i'll get into the 'community' aspect when i hit the mats early next month.

I'm wary of going to the classes because i want to create a regular schedule of my own CST fitness training before i get on the mat. Know-it-all-Selfish conceit, a little. Scaredness, a little more. Not to mention my excuses about money (i really have it, but i just bought a house that needs work so i'm a little antsy about it)

But i did notice that i'm gaining endurance. My girlfriend happens to be going to school to get her RD (registered dietician) and I'm about to seriously take her up on meal planning and all those nice things i read in Potatoes not Prozac (even though she's not the protein convert i am), you know daily meal log, meal planning etc.

When i went to the gym i got on the treadmill on the lowest difficulty setting at 11 minutes at a high speed of 5.7 mph (10:30 mile). I didn't get very tired. What i'm going to be doing is adding a minute every week until i hit the 20 minute mark, then i'm going to go up in difficulty in the preset runs.

About running. . . I bought a pair of the Nike Free 5.0

I remember posting about the new-breed running shoe called the "Nike Free". The nuts and bolts is that it's designed to move with your foot naturally. I attest to the veracity of that. Not only is the front part of the foot more flexible, but it also has a lengthwise split in the sole of the shoe to accomodate the lateral gait of your foot. In not-so-technical terms, it hugs the motion of your foot instead of hugging your foot.

I was a little reluctant to talk about the Nike free because some guy (forget who and am too lazy to do the search) bashed the Nike Free when i talked about it. His post had me ask "what's all the animosity about"? I mean even if the shoe isn't really the UGS for running (URS?) then it's a step in the right direction (no pun intended). Anyhoo, i love to know that every part of my workout is leaning toward the principles of CST and efficient biomechanical movement. Though i walk barefoot alot around the house, i do sense new motion in my foot while walking in my new favorite shoe. Did i mention that i do the treadmill in these to speed up creating strength and power in my foot?

Onto the bats!!!

So my girl said to lose my spare tire (and it isn't a whole tire-cough) i'll have to work on endurance. So I grabbed the 10's, 15's and the bruiser just to keep myself in movement. I have a pair of 15's at home and wonder if i should get a pair of 10's for DD training. What i realize now is that i'd rather not. I'd rather get a 20 or 25 to build the strength and focus on the 15's for endurance. i also may get sophisticated enough to create skill-strength-endurance rotation. Example, learn a new skill on the 10's and 15's at the gym. Go home and ramp that up with the 15's and 25's and then continue with the endurance (DD or 1/2DD) at both places.


Onto the mats!!!

So i'm getting more comfortable doing my body-flow. I do know that i'm going a little too fast for maximum benefit. But by the time i get on the floor i'm winded. But this is a good winded. Not the athsma-laden "i gotta stop" winded of my yonder youth. Rather when i'm winded i keep doing the BF movements and pay special attention to the exhale-inhale 'directions' i get from the movement. I'm letting myself be breathed by the movement.


Rounding off the workout:

And boy is that bruiser well-named!!! From my work with the 15's i'm able to call to order big-boy 5 times both grips (with a nice swing between my legs first of course). I also do windmills, helicopters or whatever you call them (i call them "blenders") five times each grip and each direction (20 total). I'd go for the bruiser-jr as a purchase. I don't know if i'm up to being so deisel that i can man-handle the bruiser, i think 35lbs is enough.


And i am developing calouses - yeah for me!!!


by your side. . . alone. . .
Byron

[amilcarkabral]

Randy and Handy (booo! byron's corny!!!):
thanks for the encouragement.

Even though i realize that partnership and comraderie enhance my working out, i haven't been working out with anyone, and i kinda like the alone-exploration time. I am also scared of all the big machines downstairs which in my mind rip your musculature into peices (pun intended). I went to the gym twice this week and four times last week. I teach, so i had last week off. My thought about the subject is that i'll get into the 'community' aspect when i hit the mats early next month.

I'm wary of going to the classes because i want to create a regular schedule of my own CST fitness training before i get on the mat. Know-it-all-Selfish conceit, a little. Scaredness, a little more. Not to mention my excuses about money (i really have it, but i just bought a house that needs work so i'm a little antsy about it)

But i did notice that i'm gaining endurance. My girlfriend happens to be going to school to get her RD (registered dietician) and I'm about to seriously take her up on meal planning and all those nice things i read in Potatoes not Prozac (even though she's not the protein convert i am), you know daily meal log, meal planning etc.

When i went to the gym i got on the treadmill on the lowest difficulty setting at 11 minutes at a high speed of 5.7 mph (10:30 mile). I didn't get very tired. What i'm going to be doing is adding a minute every week until i hit the 20 minute mark, then i'm going to go up in difficulty in the preset runs.

About running. . . I bought a pair of the Nike Free 5.0

I remember posting about the new-breed running shoe called the "Nike Free". The nuts and bolts is that it's designed to move with your foot naturally. I attest to the veracity of that. Not only is the front part of the foot more flexible, but it also has a lengthwise split in the sole of the shoe to accomodate the lateral gait of your foot. In not-so-technical terms, it hugs the motion of your foot instead of hugging your foot.

I was a little reluctant to talk about the Nike free because some guy (forget who and am too lazy to do the search) bashed the Nike Free when i talked about it. His post had me ask "what's all the animosity about"? I mean even if the shoe isn't really the UGS for running (URS?) then it's a step in the right direction (no pun intended). Anyhoo, i love to know that every part of my workout is leaning toward the principles of CST and efficient biomechanical movement. Though i walk barefoot alot around the house, i do sense new motion in my foot while walking in my new favorite shoe. Did i mention that i do the treadmill in these to speed up creating strength and power in my foot?

Onto the bats!!!

So my girl said to lose my spare tire (and it isn't a whole tire-cough) i'll have to work on endurance. So I grabbed the 10's, 15's and the bruiser just to keep myself in movement. I have a pair of 15's at home and wonder if i should get a pair of 10's for DD training. What i realize now is that i'd rather not. I'd rather get a 20 or 25 to build the strength and focus on the 15's for endurance. i also may get sophisticated enough to create skill-strength-endurance rotation. Example, learn a new skill on the 10's and 15's at the gym. Go home and ramp that up with the 15's and 25's and then continue with the endurance (DD or 1/2DD) at both places.


Onto the mats!!!

So i'm getting more comfortable doing my body-flow. I do know that i'm going a little too fast for maximum benefit. But by the time i get on the floor i'm winded. But this is a good winded. Not the athsma-laden "i gotta stop" winded of my yonder youth. Rather when i'm winded i keep doing the BF movements and pay special attention to the exhale-inhale 'directions' i get from the movement. I'm letting myself be breathed by the movement.


Rounding off the workout:

And boy is that bruiser well-named!!! From my work with the 15's i'm able to call to order big-boy 5 times both grips (with a nice swing between my legs first of course). I also do windmills, helicopters or whatever you call them (i call them "blenders") five times each grip and each direction (20 total). I'd go for the bruiser-jr as a purchase. I don't know if i'm up to being so deisel that i can man-handle the bruiser, i think 35lbs is enough.


And i am developing calouses - yeah for me!!!


by your side. . . alone. . .
Byron

[amilcarkabral]

short version: ran a little, a little body flow, swinging 10's and 15's and a little capoiera.

So i think i'm getting into the swing of things (pun kinda intended). I went to the gym yesterday and did a host of activities. I started off with 11 minutes (1 mile) of running, and i want to get up to 20 minutes (3 miles).

Then i went and did a little body-flow. I watched someone do a couple kettleball exercises a couple days ago and they had a routine where they did so many reps in 30 seconds, rested for 30, repeat. During my own clubbell routine i incorporated a little of this. What was different about this short session of clubbells for me was i used teh 10's and the 15's about equally. I'm going to select an exercise to do a 'century'. I think this is rather feasible with the 10's.

After i did some clubbell work, i did a little capoiera that i remembered from learning about a year ago. I want to eventually be able to move seamlessly (hem and patch) from capoeira moves to BF and back. But i have to create my balance on my moving feet again.


Byron

ps- i took a picture for the 'before' picture. I am a lot more in shape than i used to be before i ever got a pair of clubbells, so i think i'll have to dig for an old picture, an intermediate picture and an 'after picture' in about a month or two.

[amilcarkabral]

Running/Warmup
11 minutes (1 mile) with a goal of 20 minutes/3miles

5 minutes transition time -gotta get to the mats and bats!!!

Body Flow
20 be breathed
1 lap around the room squat creep
1 lap around the room double shin roll
10 elevated scorpions each way
10 shinrolls each way
Capoiera -don't have their terminology, but i know what i'm doing
20 jengas
10 touch-reverse kicks each way
10 slow carwheels each way
10 kick-spin-kicks each way
Clubbells
5 reps, 10lbs- swipes & extended mills
10 reps, 15 lbs- DD exercise
Build 10lb swipe DD training
5 reps, 2 directions, 2 grips- bruiser hammer throws

hopefully i'll be able to jam all of this into an hour. Last time i worked out, i conked out about 45 minutes in. The basic philosophy for this sequence is building from the ground-up. The BF works mostly the ground, caopiera works near the ground, and clubbells work the upper body while rooting me to the ground.

Eventually i'll create a routine that alternate days, intensities and sophisticates things like you vets.

Byron

[amilcarkabral]

I did just about everything i said i was going to do . . .

Except that i only made it to 5 sets 10 reps 10lb swipes before i was really concerned that my grip would fail. This ruled out doing some clean-to-order work with the bruiser.

Two insights i had while working out are: rest while moving! I noticed that i would get tired and want to 'walk it off' to catch a breath. I then found myself very soon back into movement focusing more and more on how i am being breathed by the movement.

The other insight i had was you only cheat yourself. I would be heavy into doing an exercise -like the capoiera kick-spin-kicks- and would lose count and almost cheat myself of completing all 10 reps like i said i would. During the double shin roll, i would move back some to do a rep that i didn't thing was up to par.

All-in-all i think i'll have to extend the duration of my workout by about 15 minutes. I finished in just an hour, but that's with 11 minutes running, not the 20 i'm aiming for. And i'm only halfway to my century. I'm only saying 15 minutes because i want to elevate the workout to a full cardio.

[amilcarkabral]

upped to 15 minutes running and 1.3 miles. I'll hover there and jump to 20 in a couple sessions and then slowly move up to 3 miles in that 20 minutes. I've got a long way to go.

I stopped between BF exercises a lot less. Same with the Caopeira.

With the DD cycle i achieved at least 20 sets of 5 swipes with 30 seconds in between. I think i should move up to 6 or 7 reps immediately because i didn't feel much burn in my hands. Probably because i used the 10's. I feel like whimp. I soooooo want ot jump to the 15's. But i'll be consistent. I won't move up in weight class until i do about three or four centuries.

[amilcarkabral]

So i've changed my mind about my general fitness goals. I used to want to 'get big'. I am about 5'9" and surprisingly weighing in a around 185. I can't get an accurate assessment because i weigh myself with all my gym clothes on.

Instead of going for size, i do want to go for being 'wiry'. think Scottie Pippen, only shorter. I've also realized that i have a lot more fat around my midsection than i thought. I used to only account for the pudge at the bottom of my belly, i'm realizing that my upper midsection is pudgy too. The illusion came from the fact that my upper midsection has a little of the shape of a sixpack. How delusional i've been.

I think i'll be satisfied when i weigh in around 170. I'm not committed to that as an absolute, but seems like as good a goal as any, and modifiable on the fly. After i get wiry, then i'll worry about 'beefing up'.

And with all this talk about size, i really am concerned not with size, but with the ability to generate the force to move around those 25's. I'm doing a DD swipe cycle with the 10's at my local gym. I'll do a couple of those and hopefully work my way up to the 25's. Only, i nor my gym has 20's or 25's so it'll be a while not only when i can start that physically, but when i can start that ecnomically. Hopefully i'll be albe to fanagle a deal where they buy them an i pay shipping or something. idunno.

and i'm about to ask something about metabolism on the nutrition list.

[amilcarkabral]

First off, about a month into this working out, i realized that this is about the longest consistent time i've ever worked out on my own.

I had a breakthrough in my be-breathed exercise. I realized that my pot belly was hindring my practice. About three weeks into the sessions, i can touch my feet to the floor without any strain.

Losing weight is hard. I realize that though i burn about 500 calories each time i work out (which has been consistently 2x per week and 3x on a good week) that 1000 calories is only about 1/3 of a pound (3500). That'l take a long time. So toward the goal of becoming fit, in which losing weight is a byproduct, i'm going to take more time to focus on the quality of the food i ingest.

In other news, my bodyflow is coming along. I haven't made the kinetic chain with the three exercises yet, but they'll be coming in a few weeks.

With my DD cycle, i noticed that my grip was holding well, so i jumped a couple notches. I jumped to 10 sets of 10 reps in 30 seconds with 30 seconds rest. So basically, i'm doing 100 reps in 10 minutes. I'll hover here a while. I notice the thumb part of my palm becomes a little hot aroudn about 60 reps. I really think that i could jump to sets of 20 almost immediately, but i'll wait about 5 sessions to truly guage.

Adonis in the making . . .
BWW

[amilcarkabral]

I jumped to about 1.7 miles in 20 minutes as a warmup.

I am realizing that my consistent practice of the bf movements are opening up my legs. Yesterday i was climbing some stairs and felt something that wasn't pain in the movement of my hips, i realized that even climbing the stairs i was using muscles that i hadn't before. Great ish.

I slowed down on the capoiera, i only did about 5 minutes, but this time it was continuous instead of 2 minutes on and a walk around the room. I like the notion of slowly progressing to longer sessions. I notice that the more i am 'breated' by the movement, the more rest i get while moving, what a paradox.

I am good with the 10 setsx10repsx10lbs swipe DD i'm doing. My grip starts to burn, nothing serious, around 60 and gets a bit heavy at 80, but disappears on the last set. I knew that i could do 12 reps in 30 seconds for the last two sets but i decided against it. What i might do is instead of trying to (perhaps foolhartedly) jump to 5 sets of 20 reps, that i'll do a couple sessions of 10 sets x12reps in 30 seconds with 30 seconds rest. I think that'll tax my grip a little more. (RT-9, RPE-5 for this session). I did for the first time start to feel my upper back working, and not just my grip, which is a change, maybe i'm actually doing some work now. And after the session, i did a couple (i really think i'm doing mills) of things that i made up with the 15lbers, which is a change because before my grip was fried after the session.

peace

[amilcarkabral]

So i was reading the beginning of the book Anatomy of Yoga. He mentioned the difference between iso and inso- something exercise. Basically, one is focused on stabilitzing and the other on generating movement. So i focused on a new goal for my clubbell swings. . . going slow.

So i was home on a passive recovery period from my DD (just being lazy) and i picked up my 15lbers and started swinging. I was just doing it to fool around while watching tv. So i decided to do the swings as slow as possible. I enjoyed it. I think that exercise is helpful to learn when to relax and create just enough force to do what i want, instead of generating a lot of force that i may not be able to control as well as i think.

[amilcarkabral]

I've been really busy the last two weeks. I just got to the gym yesterday.

Even after a two week break i was still able to churn out a nice 2 miles on the treadmill in 20 minutes (which is a little harder than i first thought because you have the warmup and cool-down speeds in there, 4 min of that) my max speed was 7.0 and got up to a 3% incline at 6.3 mph.

I then went upstairs to the mats to do some body-flow and clubbell work. I didn't go at the BF for a long duration because i was a bit winded. I kinda feel like i sold myself out.

But when i got up to work on my DD i was surprised. I was able to churn out a cool 100 in 5 sets of 20 with RPE of 3->6 and RPT 8->7 (where the numbers changed as the sets progressed). I really think that i can do a full-out century on the 10lb swipes. Then i'll step it up to the 15lbers. When i hit the century for the swipes, then i'll stay at the 15lb level and do a DD cycle with other clubbell movements.



ps: i am still thinking on the rmax and form article. I've just been so busy that i haven't had time to sketch an outline.