The Git's Coronary Bypass Bypass

21.07.15

Severe allergy segued into a cold this morning and felt abominable throughout the day, drowsy, no energy. Too paggered to even think about a work-out, I was thinking to take the day off from training but I've grown sick of something always coming up.

It had reached 38.2 by this afternoon with 93% humidity so I did the most logical thing I could think of when having a bad cold - I went outside and began working and in a few brief minutes water was pouring out of belltoller and with the water went the hacky-lazies - long enough to help me through a little bagwork.

70lb Canvas 7 rounds @ 1 1/2min/rnd

No preliminaries, no warm ups and I had already sweated a great deal and didn't want to waste anything further.

I equivocated regarding my round times - I'd lost a lot of endurance since early spring and I've been keen to want to recoup it as much as possible but I'm taking it slow for reasons

Timer set for 1min 30 sec with 30 sec rest

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Jabs, crosses, hooks, simple 1-2 combo, squat, repeat.

That's right. Squat - as in barbell back-squat, all the way down nearly sitting on my heels - warn't in a good way to be creative with footwork this evening and the squat satisfies two birds at the same time. Did take pains to move around the bag at all times.
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150lb Muay Thai 1 Rnd @ 3min

Since I've not been on the MT, which is a knuckle-breaker, I'd decided its time to begin trying to recondition my hands which've become soft over the months.

Time taken to re-wrap hands with a dryer and better quality wrap.
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1-2 rapid burnout

That was the longest three minutes I can recall in some time. Whoa - I've a long walk back to the base, as they say.

No more off-the-wagon-shenanigans for me.
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Getting back into the ol' "MT", I see.

Good for you!

It's just like falling off a horse. Only in this case, if you fall off a horse, just punch it until your knuckles bleed!*

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8cDfnQD0ws"]Mongo knocks out a horse! - YouTube[/ame]




*Note: Inky Tommy does not endorse, condone, suggest, approve of or any in any way advocate the beating up of horses. Unless they throw the first punch. Then it's on!

 

As Mr Kesey said "you're either on the bus or off the bus" :jester:



Good to see you firmly back in the saddle . You been to check out that kung fu school yet ? I thought the sanda looked up your street , the rest of the CMA "baggage" you can judge for yourself and take it or leave it eh .

 

22/7/15

Reworked the warm-ups portion for a couple as it came to me that I warn't exactly doing them propa-leik on somz dems dat I's hass done all-reh-ee, although after the lifting session, it dawned on belltoller-the-thick the "warm-ups" were a bit too near the actuals and I ended up doing far more reps than one would ordinarily do.

Adjustments needed?

Back Squat (1X8) 20kg, (1X5) 22.5kg, (1X5) 25kg, (5X5) 27.5kg

Even the weight light and trying to keep the bar as low as possible, my neck - especially at the base was begining to feel the reps and noticed Id to really force the bum down lower. I can also see where using the bench's rack for a squat rack is needing to come to an end - won't be long and ...
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Bench Press (1X8) 20kg, (1X5) 22.5kg, (1X5) 25kg, (5X5) 27.5kg

Barbell Row (1X8) 20kg, , (1X5) 22.5kg, (5X5) 25kg

Something was mentioned on one of the Stronglifts sites regarding Barbell rows, DL's and the fact since they begin at mid-shin for propa-form, "empty bar" warms ups could not be done.

First, I do not really have an "empty bar" as its a standard six foot bar at about 8.5kg and not Olympic, I've loaded it to empty bar weight of an Olympic.

The diametre of standard plates are not the same, being much smaller diametre as their equivalent mass Olympic plates. Its not going to reach mid-shin on the floor regardless of what I do so I might as well have the warm up, though there being but a 2.5kg difference between warm-up and actual...
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Dead Lift (1X8) 20kg, (1X5) @25kg

I felt better on the DL's with form, though I'm thinking to pop up to the 40 - 45kg for the beginner's weight, 25kg is a bit too light.
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I did decide to stave-off body weight routines on the same day as lifts. Its of no consequence now with the light warm up weights I'm doing, but its been suggested that as the weights increase to more serious proportions, BW and cardio routines beforehand could reduce my capacity to make the final reps.
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Its hard to stay in a saddle that's blazing.

I had three fegs right after my morning run ( just kiddin, of course )

As far as the school goeth...it has too close an association with the Shaolin Temple in China for comfort. The wifey and in-laws PRC connection - well, you know; best leave it at that.

There is a kyokushin karate school that I'm looking at. I might post a "do-you-know-of" inquiry on MAP a little later.

 

24.07.15

Awoke this morning with great plans for the day...could barely move

Legs were incredibly sore (still so) and the upper back and neck muscles felt as if someone had syringed them full of cement.

Don't follow. Weights are near empty Olympic bar...wonder if I'm coming down with something...had gotten an order for a tetanus shot months ago that I'd neglected in getting...nahhh...couldn't be.

Couldn't even stretch today.

Better tomorrow.

 

Excellent! That means it's working!

No pain, no...pain.

 

These days happen mate, gentle movement if you can (walking is great), pass out on the sofa/La-z-boy if you can't, make sure you eat enough food and sleep some more if you can

 

What's working? Whaddya do? Make a voodoo doll and stomp all over it?

Thanks Harry, better today.

But do the sets/reps look right?

 

Yeah looks fine to me

Back squats - what kind of "feeling it" do you get in your neck? It's shouldn't hurt your neck...
The low bar position feels pretty weird to start with, and it might take you a bit of time to find the "right" low position for you.
Also, the same neck positioning thing for deadlifts applies to squats, so you'll end up looking at the floor at the bottom position, and (almost) looking straight forward at the top.

 

Yeah, I'll get this odd tingle - like what I imagine an accupuncture needle attached to a wire with a live current running through it - right at the bony prominence at or just above the shoulder line in the centre of the neck. C-7/T-1?

Anyroad, I'll get this electric sensation from time to time. I used to get it quite a bit when I did a bit of lifting in my twenties - particularly when doing standing presses.

It's probably a pinched nerve or a bit of dodgy muscle tissue in that area.

 

25.07.15

muscles still very tight - focus on stretching which is something I've to admit I've been quite neglectful of and something I should know better than.

I can't really defend this one as to the physiology or anatomical merits but I've always used it as a bellwether of pliability and limberness - the ease of being able to sit completely on one's heels and lie back prone on one's back, immediately standing and touching one's palms to the floor.

Any inablity or extreme tightness either in legs or back and I will stand and very, very slowly reach to touch toes in a meditative, motionless state, completely relaxing. No straining or pushing, just complete relaxation.

As I relax, I find my fingers are usually able to reach the toes at which point I kneel on the floor and begin the process of sitting on my heels - using the same relaxation methodology as I described for touching the toes.

If I get to the point where I am unable to progress any further, I stand and slowly go into the toe-touch. I always find that I'm able to reach farther than before and the tightness is beginning to disappear.

Back to the heel sit. Same effect though it takes longer than with the toe-touch. Eventually I'm able to sit fully on the heels lean back and support my weight on my elbows and forearms.

By now, I am able to place both palms completely on the floor and still remain in a leg-locked standing position with no discomfort. I go back to the heel-back/sit position.

Depending on how much patience I have ( and time ) I repeat this process over and over going from toe-touch to a heel sit where the back of my head and shoulders are now resting completely on the floor and there is no pain or strain ( that's the ideal ).

I warn't able to make it past resting on the forearms today but I'm a lot less stiff and sore than when I began.

 

Are you warming up before you stretch? I'm a youngster and uber-flexible, and even I do mild stuff like butterflies before the more advanced stuff. It allows the muscles to get longer and joints more nimble.

 

26.07.15

Continuation of stretching - this time via more conventional methods.

Began with a mile fast walk. The extreme heat and humidity making even walks very nasty affairs. Had to change every piece of clothing once I returned.

3 sets, 5 - 10 reps each, depending on routine

Quad stretch
Hamstring stretch
Calf-stretch (against wall)
achilles stretch
thigh stretch (back)
Shoulder stretch (each shoulder 3 sets X 5 reps)
Back stretch (via rotating trunk, leveraging arm(s))
Pectoral stretch ( with and without bands )

27.07.15

More of the same as yesterday except now I'm also using the graduated resistance bands for bicep stretches, pull-aparts, triceps press-downs, mounting bands on the wall hooks and doing lumbar stretches, static holds, seated leg curls

Also revisited my toe-touch/heel-head sit. Didn't take me nearly as long to reach the point I'd managed yesterday and a little farther.

Finished off with pushups (15), situps (25) and box-jumps (10) then went for 1 mile jog.

 

You know, sometimes I don't. If I'm doing a "formal" stretch sequence I'll try to remember to go for a jog or skip rope but funny I never warmed-up before the toe-touch/heel sit thing - just years of bad habit.

I've also been bad regarding not stretching after exercises - I've a spate of unusual good luck if I'm not called away before I finish a routine, much less have time to complete the after-stretch.

 

28.07.15

Made one major and much needed change - began what will be prerequisite stretching after weights and a warmup before.

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Warm up: skip-rope 1 min and jumping split lunges 1min

Squat (1X8) 20kg, (1X5) 22.5kg, (1X5) 25kg, (1X5) 27.5kg (5X5) 30kg

Overhead Press (1X8) 20kg, (1X5) 22.5kg, (1X5) 25kg, (1X5) 27.5kg (5X5) 30kg

Barbell Row (1X8) 20kg, , (1X5) 22.5kg, (1X5) 25kg, (5X5) 27.5kg

Bench Press (1X8) 20kg, (1X5) 22.5kg, (1X5) 25kg, (1X5) 27.5kg (5X5) 30kg


Post Stretches: Stretches were held for approximately 30 seconds or so.

Lateral Arm/shoulder
Bent-over anterior deltoid
Quad stretch - using table support
Hamstrings stretch
Groin ( sitting ) stretch

 

Don't feel too bad about not getting to post-workout stretching. My ballet teachers are pros and they just leave after class (1 to 1.5 hours) without any cool-down other than a drink of water and changing shoes and such.

 

But so much of ballet is stretching!

 

Aye, that it is! It's also loads of brutal bodyweight exercises and all sorts of acrobatics...:evil:

 

Sorry Matt...warnt trying to imply it was ALL stretching - youse make catching a jumping dancer in mid-air look like stretching,