Month: November 2011

R8D42 – O-Lifting Practice – My Not So Nice Rack

I have yet to master the front squat. Maybe it is anatomically impossible given my back history, but since I am able to back squat no problem it’s bothering me. I think there are 2 pieces here, I have large protruding anterior deltoids and a thick chest which means I have a very hard time racking to a high position on my collarbones. This means I have a large pull towards the front when I rack which makes it impossible to sit back into the squat properly.

The rack should sit far back towards the throat, with the upper arm almost parallel to the ground. My specific problem is a lack of flexibility in the involved joints including my wrists coupled with large muscled arms and thick shoulders. Having said that, I think that the biggest problem is my flexibility of the wrist because let’s be honest, I don’t have the arms or shoulders of a Roger Estep for example. Not having the bar in the correct position means that the weight does not sit over your balance plane which should drive the weight through the heels. Instead it sits forwards which when you are standing is no big deal because you can effectively counterbalance yourself. However once you start to go into squat, the extra pull forwards instantly pulls you off balance. It is such a large effect that you can’t (and by you I mean me) even get partway down to squat.

I suppose it’s like anything else, I will have to practice with unloaded bars to get the hang of it but this is one of those things for which I don’t hold much hope. It’s a little like the front press which I find very hard due to the unusual position of my neck and head. I have a natural forward incline in my neck which means I can back press like a beast but my front press causes me to arch painfully to get the weight overhead.

Anyway, last night I was planning to do some combo clean and press with the clean to full squat. it wasn’t happening so I ended up with this:

5x

5 Deadlift
5 Clean
5 Strict Press
5 Combination (Clean from floor, push press)

It doesn’t sound like much, and I was only using 115lbs but it was cold in the garage, I was trying to be quiet because the baby sleeps in the room above the garage and to be perfectly honest I was already kind of tired. I managed to struggle through, mostly by virtue of doing some light KB swings as a warmup which always gets me in the mood to work. I also didn’t figure in any pull ups but I will stop whining now… It’s bootcamp tomorrow so I know taking it easy was OK.

November Planning – The Road Ahead For Fall

I’m pretty happy with the way things are going. I am loving having an olympic bar in the garage so I can do some light O-lifts when I feel like it. My affair with the Kettlebell is still going strong and with the bootcamp class I am teaching I have plenty to do even without P90X and Insanity. But that is a bit of a problem, fitting it all in is getting tougher and with P90X2 on the horizon it’s going to be tougher still. However, I am thinking that P90X2 won’t be like Insanity or Insanity:Asylum, I think I will try to do the full program just like I did for my first round of P90X all those years ago.

For now though I am resolving to make a couple of changes for November and hit a couple of goals.

I am cutting down my nuts intake, for some time now I have been snacking on nuts during the day and it has become mindless. It’s not a great habit to have and I think I will go back to my half cup once a day.

I am still around 233 or so and would like to hit 228 by month end if possible. That would leave 8 lbs to lose for December. It is getting incrementally harder to cut weight as I get closer to my goal, whether that is 220 or 200, either way, it’s hard!

I am going to do one P90X workout and one Insanity workout every week. With bootcamp making 3, RKC makes 4 and O lift makes 5 I think that’s a reasonable goal.

I’d like to take some more pictures at the end of the month too, I have been at a place where I wanted to take some shots but didn’t, if I stick to the plan for the month, I should be back there and ready to change the picture on the main site. I like the one there, but I am leaner than that now and seeing that every day isn’t motivating me any more.

Also, finally I am going to try and get more sleep. I suck at this to be honest and I don’t really know how to fix it without rebelling against myself. Maybe an extra half hour will be enough, maybe it will take an extra hour of shuteye, but unless I start I will never know.

 

R8D38/41 – The Return Of Cardio Plyo And A Brief Rest

Like I said yesterday, it’s been about 6 weeks since I did an Insanity workout so I was a little nervous about getting my ass handed to me while Shaun T tells me to “push, push, push” like a midwife on crack. I reckoned enough was enough, it was time to get back at it. Shaun T did not disappoint however I was very happy to find that I was able to do the whole workout at his pace without stopping except to stretch my calf during the warmup. I was so impressed with my achievement and the fact that I was able to do a legs and abs workout the next day for bootcamp that I decided (subconsciously of course) to take a couple of days rest. I took 3 of the next 4 days off and I think my body was just about ready for it. It’s funny how if you push yourself hard you still realize when your body NEEDS a rest. I am sure it always wants a rest but to listen to your body crying out for a break is a critical skill for the fitness enthusiast. I no longer feel guilty about taking a few days easy, I have learned to ignore the softness of my waistline after a couple of says off knowing that I will be back to the grind sooner rather than later.

My triumphant return was completed yesterday, even though I had made a secret deal to wait until November 1st. I went out to the deck and did the following:
5x

5 chin up
10 ring dips
15 air squats

5x

5 chin up
10 pushups
15 24″ box jumps

5x

5 chin up
10 push ups
15 air squats

It felt great to get back to work, although it was only about 7 degrees outside I still just love being out there working hard. I really wish I had an extension to the house where I could have the benefit of the sun during the winter during my workouts. Hopefully I can make that dream real in our next home. Next it’s some arms and shoulders and then a tough cardio based bootcamp on wednesday to sweat all that candy out of the participants.

Happy Halloween everyone.