Gymnastics / Bootcamp – Page 21 – Something Beats Nothing Every Time

R7D77/80 – Being Sick Sucks

It’ s my own fault, not taking care of the way I was cooking the meat, I made myself sick Monday night and spent all day Tuesday in bed.

Happily I had done a tricep blast with the kids at gym on Monday and I can do a plyo workout with them today BUT this week was supposed to be the big challenge week / final rest week and looking at the schedule I think it may qualify as the rest week alone. What I might do then is convert next week into a week of tests and challenges and then starting Labour Day get back into the hybrid for a second time.

As always, having a flexible plan is good, as long as you can stay a week ahead of yourself. being flexible doesn’t mean giving yourself permission to slack of or sub something easier just because you are a little tired, it means changing your plan according to your external influences to keep your total work load as high as it needs to be for the week. For me, this was supposed to be rest week but I complained about ending with a rest week on a couple of occasions and since I have a “spare” week next week maybe I can put it to good use.

I have a fit test from P90X, Insanity and Insanity:Asylum I can do. I have a crossfit total I can post for a baseline. I have a 1k or 5k run that I could pull off some time and looking back at my “achievements” post a while back, maybe getting weights and times for all those would be a good idea.

Here’s what I said in my last goals post:

I need to work on some personal bests for the following:

1km run
Deadlift
Shoulder Press
Barbell Clean
Clean and Press
Chinups
Weighted pushups
All the Fit Tests P90X, Insanity, Insanity:Asylum
Crossfit WODs such as Angie, Fran etc.

At the same time, I had previously posted this which was the catalyst for my planning, however there are things here I am not willing to try again such as heavy squats, I spent a lot of my life doing them and with my back history, I don’t need to go back there again…

These are some of my CrossFit PRs

Baseline: 3:58
Fran: 7:18 (totally lame)
Jackie: 7:25
Back Squat: 235#
Strict Press: 115#
Deadlift: 315#
CrossFit Total 655#
Max Pushups: 40
Max Unbroken Muscles Ups: 5
Max Overhead Squat: 125#
Max Clean and Jerk: 160#
2K Row: 7:35

I probably should apologize to him for nicking his stuff but I need a little something to concentrate on and getting these numbers for myself is something I would like to do. Also, I think that his site may be a good read, certainly his start here page states some of the reasons I am frustrated with the medical profession.

So here are the descriptions of what those numbers mean:

Fran:
21 Thrusters 95lbs
21 Pull Ups
15 Thrusters 95lbs
15 Pull Ups
9 Thrusters 95lbs
9 Pull Ups

Jackie:
1000 meter row
45 pound Thruster, 50 reps
30 pull-ups

Back Squat The basic regular squat we all love to hate
Strict Press Shoulder press, from standing, front of shoulder (I prefer back of shoulder, but my body is weird).
Deadlift I’m going to assume everyone knows this. Lift the bar from the floor until you are upright. Keep back discs intact!
Crossfit Total Simply add the totals from the previous 3 lifts (with each attempted 3 times for max)
Max Pushups Unbroken push ups, no rest, full range of motion
Max Unbroken Muscle Ups Again, no stopping to max
Max Overhead Squat 1 rep max for overhead squat, just regular squat with weight extended overhead
Max Clean and Jerk – Probably the most misrepresented, misunderstood and challenging lift of all.
2K Row Get on a rowing machine and go until your lungs explode!

So I will work on a plan and post it later.

R7D30-35 – Warriors In Sickness And In Health

The week leading up to the Warrior Dash was not great. I coached Wednesday despite having a fever and after spiking over 40 degrees I was off work on Thursday and Friday with only some gentle walking on the treadmill and outside to count as exercise on Friday. My throat was extremely sore, and to me that is a serious issue, but Nicole apparently thought I meant I had a “tickle” in my throat because when she finally saw the white lesions back there she immediately suggested I go to the clinic. It’s been so bad that I can hardly eat, because swallowing anything is like inserting a stick blender into my throat. The clinic doc tells me it’s not Strep but it is a viral infection and it is both contagious and incurable. Great. Despite being weak from fever and feeling like my head is connected to my shoulders by a lit sparkler I wasn’t about to miss the Warrior Dash due to start 930am Saturday. Oh and one more thing that I neglected to mention, I burned the roof of my mouth on Friday so badly that I can’t actually bite into anything because the roof of my mouth HAS NO SKIN LEFT!

Of course I can’t sleep, so by the time 5am rolled around on Saturday I didn’t feel like I had rested at all in preparation for what was billed as “The Craziest Day Of Your Life” by the Warrior Dash peeps. We dropped off the baby and drove up to Horseshoe Resort in Barrie. The fact that this race was set to be hosted at a ski resort should have been my first indicator that it was going to take more than a couple of days running “hills” to train properly for this. It was too late for regret, and I would have to lean on my every day training to get me through. In reality, the course ran up and down ski hills with alarming regularity, and for at least 2 of the ascents we were on black diamonds I am sure (at least it felt, and looked that way). We were all pretty excited to get started, the feeling of the park was not unlike being a soph in university, all of the enjoyment, none of the drunken froshness. The place was flooded with participants even though we were some of the earliest waves to go (I would suggest doing that!) and even as we lined up to drop off our gear, there were plenty of people already finishing, caked in mud with a banana and a huge smile. I have to say that there were all kinds of people participating. It wasn’t just a bunch of crossfit and bootcamp knuckleheads, it was basically the same kind of crowd you would see at a 5 or 10k fun run, most look like they belong, some look lost and some look like they maybe should have thought this through a little better but kudos to everyone for coming out and giving it a shot!

We dropped our gear, took one last drink and headed to the start line and with the crowd buzzing, and cracking jokes it felt lke we were in line for a concert, not about to have our asses handed to us by a mean spirited and ugly 5k of hell. But we were blissfully unaware and as the countdown finally came and the flames leaped from the start gantry we were off! Naturally, the first few hundred yards were a laugh, everybody was talking and having fun, jumping over a small creek thinking that was a measure of what was to come. Funny thing is, there were people trying to get around the little creek not realizing that the first obstacle is knee deep mud from which there is no escape. By the time we got through the mud, there was a definite air of annoyance mixed with frustration and more than a couple of lost shoes. The fun run continued and for me that was the tough part, not being a runner, and also having a lingering malady to carry with me. Nevertheless I carried on with the hills getting steeper and longer (through woods at the start) and the pace being fairly respectable for an old guy! Second came the dark crawl, basically like going through someone’s tent at night, being too drunk to see and crawling out the other end. There were beams inside so you had to stay on your knees and since the ground was mostly gravel and rock it was a wonderfully refreshing experience! With knees smarting and heart screaming we continued on.

More to come…

P90X, Insanity, Insanity:Asylum, RKC, Insanity:Asylum/P90X Hybrid Schedules

I finally got around to doing this. I have included, on one page, the schedule for P90X Classic, Insanity, Insanity Asylum, Insanity Asylum P90X Hybrid and the RKC Minimum and RKC Rite of Passage (which is 12 weeks total).

I hope to build a true hybrid system from this including some workouts from each discipline, however this leaves no time for Crossfit type movements including Olympic lifting, wallball, running, sprints etc. However, there are plenty of rest days in there that I can do a quick WOD style workout with deadlifts, clean and jerk etc if I feel the need.

I wasn’t able to find this table or anything even close to it on the internet anywhere so I hope it will come in useful for people searching for a comparison chart of the schedules.

I have tried many times to find a way to get it to display here in the blog but it appears like it just won’t cooperate.

So, you will have to view it HERE!

If you want to stick around here I have cut and pasted the schedules below, it’s not pretty, I am not proud to do it this way but I figure you can format it yourself, I already did all the hard work for you! 🙂

Classic P90X

Fit Test

Chest & Back, Ab Ripper X
Plyometrics
Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper X
Yoga X
Legs & Back, Ab Ripper X
Kenpo X
Rest / Stretch X

Yoga X
Core Synergistics
Kenpo X
X Stretch
Core Synergistics
Yoga X
Rest

Chest, Shoulders & Tris, Ab Ripper X
Plyometrics
Back & Biceps, Ab Ripper X
Yoga X
Legs & Back, Ab Ripper X
Kenpo X
Rest / Stretch X

Yoga X
Core Synergistics
Kenpo X
X Stretch
Core Synergistics
Yoga X
Rest

Chest & Back, Ab Ripper X
Plyometrics
Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper X
Yoga X
Legs & Back, Ab Ripper X
Kenpo X
Rest / Stretch X

Chest, Shoulders & Tris, Ab Ripper X
Plyometrics
Back & Biceps, Ab Ripper X
Yoga X
Legs & Back, Ab Ripper X
Kenpo X
Rest / Stretch X

Chest & Back, Ab Ripper X
Plyometrics
Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper X
Yoga X
Legs & Back, Ab Ripper X
Kenpo X
Rest / Stretch X

Yoga X
Core Synergistics
Kenpo X
X Stretch
Core Synergistics
Yoga X
Rest

Insanity

Fit Test
Plyometric Cardio Circuit
Cardio Power Resistance
Cardio Recovery
Pure Cardio
Plyometric Cardio Circuit
OFF

Cardio Power & Resistance
Pure Cardio
Plyometric Cardio Circuit
Cardio Recovery
Cardio Power & Resistance
Pure Cardio & Cardio Abs
Off

Fit Test
Plyometric Cardio Circuit
Pure Cardio & Cardio Abs
Cardio Recovery
Cardio Power & Resistance
Plyometric Cardio Circuit
OFF

Pure Cardio & Abs
Cardio Power & Resistance
Plyometric Cardio Circuit
Cardio Recovery
Pure Cardio & Cardio Abs
Plyometric Cardio Circuit
OFF

Cardio Core and Balance
Cardio Core and Balance
Cardio Core and Balance
Cardio Core and Balance
Cardio Core and Balance
Cardio Core and Balance
OFF

Fit Test & Max Interval Circuit
Max Interval Plyo
Max Cardio Conditioning
Max Recovery
Max Interval Circuit
Max Interval Plyo
OFF

Max Cardio Conditioning
Max Interval Circuit
Max Interval Plyo
Max Recovery
Max Cardio Conditioning & Abs
Core Cardio & Balance

Fit Test & Max Interval Circuit
Max Interval Plyo
Max Cardio Conditioning & Abs
Max recovery
Max Interval Circuit

Max Interval Plyo
Max Cardio Conditioning & Abs
Max Interval Circuit
Core Cardio & Balance
Max Interval Plyo
Max Cardio Conditioning & Abs
Fit Test

Insanity Asylum

Fit Test
Speed and Agility
Strength
Back to Core
Vertical Plyo
OFF
Speed and Agility
Strength

Back to Core
Vertical Plyo
Relief
Game Day
Back to Core
Strength
Relief

Speed and Agility
Vertical Plyo
Strength
Relief
Game Day / Overtime
Vertical Plyo
Back to Core

OFF
Speed and Agility
Strength
Game Day / Overtime
Vertical Plyo
Back to Core
Relief

Speed and Agility
Fit Test

Insanity Asylum P90X Hybrid

Chest & Back, Ab Ripper X
Vertical Plyo
Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper X
Yoga X
Legs & Back, Ab Ripper X
Speed and Agility
OFF

Back & Biceps, Ab Ripper X
Vertical Plyo
Chest, Shoulders & Tris, Ab Ripper X
Speed and Agility
Legs & Back, Ab Ripper X
Game Day / Overtime
OFF

Strength
Vertical Plyo
Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper X
Speed and Agility
Strength
Game Day / Overtime
OFF

Strength
Vertical Plyo
Back to Core
Speed and Agility
Strength
Game Day / Overtime
Yoga X

Speed and Agility
Fit Test

Russian Kettlebell Challenge (Minimum and Rite Of Passage)

Squats Halos Pumps (10min) Daily Warmup

12 minutes x 20 swings plus active rest
5 minutes Turkish Get Ups
OFF
12 minutes x 20 swings plus active rest
5 minutes Turkish Get Ups
OFF
OFF

12 minutes x 20 swings plus active rest
5 minutes Turkish Get Ups
OFF
12 minutes x 30 swings plus active rest
5 minutes Turkish Get Ups
OFF
OFF

12 minutes x 40 swings plus active rest
5 minutes Turkish Get Ups
OFF
12 minutes x 40 swings plus active rest
5 minutes Turkish Get Ups
OFF
OFF

12 minutes x 50 swings plus active rest
5 minutes Turkish Get Ups
OFF
12 minutes x 50 swings plus active rest
5 minutes Turkish Get Ups
OFF
OFF

RITE OF PASSAGE STARTS WEEK 5

3×3 Clean and Press Ladders Plus Dice Roll Snatches
Variety
3×3 Clean and Press Ladders Plus Dice Roll Snatches
Variety
3×3 Clean and Press Ladders Plus Dice Roll Snatches
Variety
OFF

4×3 Clean and Press Ladders Plus Dice Roll Snatches
Variety
4×3 Clean and Press Ladders Plus Dice Roll Snatches
Variety
4×3 Clean and Press Ladders Plus Dice Roll Snatches
Variety
OFF

5×3 Clean and Press Ladders Plus Dice Roll Snatches
Variety
5×3 Clean and Press Ladders Plus Dice Roll Snatches
Variety
5×3 Clean and Press Ladders Plus Dice Roll Snatches
Variety
OFF

5×3 Clean and Press Ladders Plus Dice Roll Snatches
Variety
5×4 Clean and Press Ladders Plus Dice Roll Snatches
Variety
5×5 Clean and Press Ladders Plus Dice Roll Snatches
Variety
OFF
5×3 Clean and Press Ladders Plus Dice Roll Snatches
Variety
5×4 Clean and Press Ladders Plus Dice Roll Snatches
Variety
5×5 Clean and Press Ladders Plus Dice Roll Snatches
Variety
OFF
5×3 Clean and Press Ladders Plus Dice Roll Snatches
Variety
5×4 Clean and Press Ladders Plus Dice Roll Snatches
Variety
5×5 Clean and Press Ladders Plus Dice Roll Snatches
Variety
OFF
5×3 Clean and Press Ladders Plus Dice Roll Snatches
Variety
5×4 Clean and Press Ladders Plus Dice Roll Snatches
Variety
5×5 Clean and Press Ladders Plus Dice Roll Snatches
Variety
OFF
5×3 Clean and Press Ladders Plus Dice Roll Snatches
Variety
5×4 Clean and Press Ladders Plus Dice Roll Snatches
Variety
5×5 Clean and Press Ladders Plus Dice Roll Snatches
Variety
OFF

R5D62 – Grass Fed Beef and Chest Day

Mark’s Daily Apple had a good article yesterday about the benefits and differences with grass fed beef. We all know, to some degree, that the massive feed lots don’t produce the healthiest meat and that grass fed is the way to go but what does it really mean? Some of the things we tell ourselves and each other are ingrained but can use some inspection, and MDA does a great job of that on the beef front. The whole article can be found here and the link to Mark’s blog is here. I like his site because he often takes time to answer questions that most of us find relevant and in a simple way. The guy could be taken to task about his past with the Beachbody supplements thing but then again, read his site for a while and you will quickly realize he knows his stuff! I also found a cool article on making sausages…

I also find it amusing that when I speak with people about not eating grains and tell them that their diet is the same diet they feed cattle to make them gain 800lbs in a few months the little light goes on over their heads. Doesn’t mean they will stop eating donuts, but at least it gives them food for thought.

Yesterday was chest day and I found myself thinking that my workouts are a bit one dimensional at the moment. I am really enjoying the KB challenge but it does leave a bit to be desired on the variety front especially if you don’t take the time to do something interesting during your variety days. Maybe it is because I was so excited about yesterday’s news regarding the Asylum or just that since I was sick I have been only doing the RKC and not adding extra work. Maybe I am getting excited at the prospect of spring and the fact that I am going to be able to work out outside and do my sprints around the 600m track that is my neighbourhood I am not sure. What I do know is that I need to get my creative side going again and maybe get back to picking the WOD as my variety day so I don’t lose my Crossfit touch. For my chest day it was pretty sad actually, I did a few chest presses with the KBs (45 and 70) plus some pullovers and then did 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 on the bench with 205lbs. It wasn’t a lot of work, but since I was coaching and was short on time, it worked out fine. I should have done dips and some tricep work too, I will have to address that at a later date.

R5D44 – Bodyweight Workout (Not Mine)

Today’s workout: throwing around gymnasts.

We worked back handsprings most of the night and so I spent hours on my knees spotting girls who are old enough not to need spot but scared enough to require it. It was a long, difficult workout and I am very relieved that A: I didn’t do a workout before and B: that I am doing the RKC because if not I think I would have given up half way through and told them to go vault while I had a nap!

Verdict: Rewarding but exhausting. There is nothing like a kid getting a new skill for the first time.

This week I start adding rungs to the RKC ladders, and I expect Saturday to be extremely taxing. Good news is that the weather is supposed to be almost 10 degrees and that means I can go out on the deck!!!

R5D23 – Chest Blast

arnold-chest I hit a couple of walls today during my workout which was really weird. I think I was a little short on calories during the day and ran out of juice for my bench workout. Oddly enough I had a feeling I wasn’t going to be up for benching my weight but also wanted to try something a little different.

The Plan:
5x 135# for 10 reps plus 10 dips

The Reality:
3x 135# for 10 reps plus a very sketchy 10 dips

Followed by:

3x 10 regular bench + 10 close grip bench @135#
20 push ups every minute on the minute

I managed to struggle through the bench even though it was only 135lbs and was still feeling a bit frustrated with my obvious lack of strength (couple that with the fact I weighed in a couple of pounds up this morning which only added to my psychological discomfort) so when I got to the push ups I decided I would go until I failed.

That took 8 rounds.

Colour me unimpressed with myself today, however, I feel like I got a great workout, even if it took until I couldn’t get off the floor to get there.

R5 D14-16 RKC End OF Week 3 and Bench Day (White Rabbits!)

White Rabbits I have started to add some cleans, clean and press and (this week) some snatches to my warmup on my TGU days. I am not kidding, it is hard!

The swings are now up to 40 per set, not only that, but I don’t think I am getting any better at TGU than I was. Maybe I should be trying with 35 or 25lb instead of my 45lb KB. Doing the cleans and CAP is interesting, I actually really like it, and I can’t wait until the spring when I can get out on the deck and do them outside. It seems like a perfect outdoor exercise!

Last night was bench day and I managed the following:

15×4 @135 (2 sets of close grip)
12×4@185 (2 sets of close grip)
7×4@225
3×4@275

This is not a comprehensive chest workout and I think I may have to start working in some incline bench into the warmup, not only to make sure I get the whole muscle but also so I don’t have to unload the bar after I do my 275’s!

I am getting a hankering for some cardio. I will probably end up doing an Insanity workout this week just to see where my cardio is in comparison to Rounds 3 and 4. I am also getting nervous about hitting my 240 mark for my birthday since it is now February and I have 19 days left. Since going Paleo I have found that my body has discovered a comfortable place right around 250. It’s weird how your body seems to settle at certain points. I am sure that if I push through this plateau that I will settle again at a lower weight, I just hope I can get through this sticking point without burning too much lean mass or allowing my strength to dip. I have always wanted to settle around 240 ever since I put on the muscle I worked so hard for after I left University, I think at that weight I would be relatively healthy, probably around 12-15% bodyfat and certainly looking acceptable. I guess in about 19 days we will find out!

Today I was 251.

(White Rabbits)

R5D9-10 – Cardiopocalypse

new hat Being at home with the baby is a unique set of challenges in a lot of ways, not least of all when it comes to working out. I had to do my bench sets with the baby looking on with an even stranger look than when I did the RKC the other day. It is a little disturbing however I managed to get through the following:
15-15-15-15 @135
10-10-10-10 @ 185
7-7-7-7 @225
5-5-5-5 @ 275

The following day I had come to the realization that the baby will sleep 45 minutes. So I put her to bed, jumped on the treadmill and did 45 mins of cardio. I was insufferably bored. I though I hated cardio before, I should have done a Shaun T workout instead. I don’t know how far I went, in fact I don’t even care I hated it so much. I can’t wait for the spring to come so I can do some short sprints outside. As far as I can tell, cardio on a treadmill is nothing short of Chinese Water Torture. Never again, I have come to the end of my treadmill world, it’s over.

Why? Because running on a treadmill will not prepare you for ToughMudder!!

RKC Week 3 next!

R5D3 – Chest / Tri Old School Lifting

benchclothes It was refreshing to be doing bench again, and much to my surprise I was able to top out easily at 275lbs which was almost a shock given how much weight I have lost and how long it has been since I benched last.

I took a similar approach that I have always used, a simple increasing set to my max but with set reps as follows:
14-12-12-12 @ 135 (50 rep / 6750 lb total)
10-10-10-10 @ 185 (40 rep / 7400 lb total )
9-7-7-7 @ 225 (30 rep / 6750 lb total)
5-5-5-5 @ 275 (20 rep / 5500 lb total)
10-10-10-10 @ 135 (40 rep close grip)

I have to admit I was quite pleased with myself but decided that I needed an extra 2 45lb plates in order to make my life easier. Looking back this may seem like a lot of reps or sets but only 16 sets, only 140 reps and a total weight of 26,400lbs. Considering I have topped out at over 100,000 lbs in the past doing 2 body parts, 26,400 seems reasonable at this point. I would like to get a 50,000 lb workout and just see what the reps and sets look like. Maybe once my weights get up a little higher that will be a good daily total. I just don’t want the reps to get too high, going over 15 reps on anything is borderline too high but since my body is used to it, I am not about to stop now. I was never a big fan of 1 – 3 rep sets during training and seemed to gain enough mass and strength without them.

As for the triceps, well, I am not about to fall back into the isolation training from my past. I figure that with the benching, the close grip finishing and the dips I do on other days, my triceps should get the work they need. If not, I will add an extra set or two to close grip since that is what makes my triceps grow the fastest.

Towards The Light

56 Chest & Back, Ab Ripper X

57 Max Cardio

58 Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper X

59 OFF

60 WOD with Pullups

61 Back & Biceps, Ab Ripper X

62 Max Interval Plyo

63 Chest, Shoulders & Triceps, Ab Ripper X

64 OFF

65 WOD with Pullups

66 Chest & Back, Ab Ripper X

67 Max Interval Circuit

68 Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper X

69 OFF

70 WOD with Pullups

71 Back & Biceps, Ab Ripper X

72 Max Cardio

73 Chest, Shoulders & Triceps, Ab Ripper X

74 OFF

75 WOD with Pullups

76 Chest & Back, Ab Ripper X

77 Max Interval Circuit

78 Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper X

79 OFF

80 P90X Fit Test & Insanity Fit Test

81 Max Rep Pullups 10 min max

82 5K Timed Run

83 Max Rep Bench 10 min max

84 FINISH!!

The next few weeks which I can’t help feeling will be usurped by my every growing love for the Crossfit HIIT type training. But, there’s nothing like a plan is there? Also, I know it says “FINISH!!” but let’s be honest this is really just a new beginning especially given the Paleo diet that is working wonders. I have to think that 6 months from now I will be a different person if only physically than I am now. That will be the first time I haven’t had to go on a “summer diet” to satisfy my ridiculous sense of self.

56 Chest & Back, Ab Ripper X
57 Max Cardio
58 Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper X
59 OFF
60 WOD with Pullups
61 Back & Biceps, Ab Ripper X
62 Max Interval Plyo
63 Chest, Shoulders & Triceps, Ab Ripper X
64 OFF
65 WOD with Pullups
66 Chest & Back, Ab Ripper X
67 Max Interval Circuit
68 Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper X
69 OFF
70 WOD with Pullups
71 Back & Biceps, Ab Ripper X
72 Max Cardio
73 Chest, Shoulders & Triceps, Ab Ripper X
74 OFF
75 WOD with Pullups
76 Chest & Back, Ab Ripper X
77 Max Interval Circuit
78 Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper X
79 OFF
80 P90X Fit Test & Insanity Fit Test
81 Max Rep Pullups 10 min max
82 5K Timed Run
83 Max Rep Bench 10 min max
84 FINISH!!