Back on Track

Blargh again!

2008-06-02T09:11:00.000-07:00

So I did it Saturday instead. Here's how i did:

Bench: 145lbs -- 7 reps (down 1, almost did 8, but failed)
Shoulders: 105lbs -- 6 reps (new high)
Biceps: 60lbs -- 6 reps (new high)
Triceps: 40 lbs -- 6 reps (down 2)
Rows: 120lbs -- 6 reps (new high)
Pullups: 90lbs resist -- 10 reps (level up!)

Heh. Its a good thing there was someone around to help me. I hadn't been "pinned" at the bench press since high school. I would have been able to use the "emergency" hooks, but someone had put the weight clamps on them, so I was unable to get the load off me that way. *grumble*

On a lighter note, we finished week 5 of running. The only thing really to note here is the blister I've gotten on my right foot. This is unusual. I can't determine how it really developed, as I investigated my socks and the orthodics themselves and both seem fine. We'll see if further adjustements can fix this.

Week 6 running starts tomorrow. We'll be doing 5 mins walk / 12 mins run / 13 mins walk on Tuseday/Thursday/Sunday.

Blargh

2008-05-30T15:08:00.000-07:00

I swear, I'm terrible at updating these. However, rest assured that my inability to update these on a regular basis reflects any upon my habits with my workout plan. Here's how it all went down for this week so far.

We're on week 5 for running. 9/21 split. Its harder than i thought it would be, but the good news is i've not felt any knee pain. I'm jogging around my apartment complex now instead of the treadmill, as it allows me the flexibility to run with my IPoD more with podcasts to enjoy.

As for strength, here's how Monday went.

Bench: 145 -- 8 reps
Shoulders: 95 -- 10 reps (level up! FINALLY!!!!)
Biceps: 60 -- 5 reps (new high)
Triceps: 40 -- 8 reps (new high)
Rows: 105 -- 10 reps (level up!)
Pullups: 105resist -- 10 reps (level up!)

Doing another strength workout tonight after work.

2008-05-22T15:08:00.000-07:00

Today
=======

Bench, 145lbs, 8 reps
Shoudlers 95lbs, 7 reps
Biceps, 55, 10 reps
Triceps, 35, 10 reps
Standing rows, 105, 6 reps
Pullups, 120r, 10 reps

Finally decided to remove the leg press. I wasn't getting anything out of it without risking knee problems. I get enough work out lower body through biking, anyway!

Hmm, where was I a month ago?

Bench, 115lbs
Shoulder Press, 95lbs
Bicep Curls, 40lbs
tricep extension, 30lbs
Standing Rows, 50lbs
Pullups: 3

I have really improved in bench! 30 lbs in a month. Shoulder press has stagnated, i don't know how to improve it. Maybe the curve is a little higher. Moderate improvements elsewhere. :)

Some Gains, Some Strains

2008-05-19T10:04:00.000-07:00

Running: 3/3, did all three days at 6 minutes of 30 minutes running just fine.

Strength: Lifted today.

Bench: 145 -- 8 reps (new high)
Leg: 405 -- (see note below)
Shoulders: 95 -- 7 reps (same...again)
Biceps: 55 -- 7 reps (+2)
Triceps: 35 -- 7 reps (same)
Rows: 90 -- 10 reps (level up!)
Pullups: 120resist -- 7 reps

For legs? We're getting to a point where the weight is getting high enough that it could create an unnecessary level of pressure on my knees. I did not remove the safety levels, but merely lifted and held the weight, slowly lowering it from that position. I also biked today, so I think I didn't gip myself too much on the lower body, regardless.

Week 4 starts today! Its a conservative week. Tuesday(3/27), then back up to Thursday(6/24) and Sunday(6/24).

Cut Short!

2008-05-16T14:56:00.000-07:00

GRAGh! I wanted to do the whole thing but no time. :( No Back Rows or Pullups today.

Bench: 135--10reps (level up!)
LegPress: 315--10reps (level up!)
Shoulders: 95--7reps(same)
Biceps: 55--5reps(4 lower)
Tricpes: 35--7reps(1 lower)

I started out REALLY well. I didn't expect to fly through bench so quickly, all of a sudden. I was stuck 4 workouts in a row at 115. Then BOOM 115 BOOM 125 BOOM 135. Leg press is following the same pattern, but that is to be expected from an ex-track runner. Shoulders...gagh. I'm wondering if I need more time to recover between bench and shoulders. Three minutes is about the time in between. Since I'm doing leg press, would a six minute difference make a...*sigh* difference?

I contribute my weaker performance in biceps and triceps to my sense of urgency with time this morning. I was trying to get to work on time and was cutting it pretty close ( i got to work RIGHT on time actually). I've GOT to allot more time to strength training.

Yikes, I Keep Forgetting to Update

2008-05-13T06:19:00.001-07:00

Last time I lifted was Friday. Lets check the results:

Bench: 135 @ 9 reps (new high)
Legs: 225 @ 10 reps (level up!)
Shoulders: 95 @ 7 reps (+1, new high)
Biceps: 55 @ 9 reps (new high)
Triceps: 35 @ 8 reps (+4, new high)
Rows: 90 @ 6 reps (new high)
Pullups: 6

So how did i go down on my pullup reps? Well, I found out (finally) how the pullup machine worked. It was rather simple, really. The weights don't make it harder for you; on the contrary, you're requesting that much support. So when I set it to the lowest weight possible, it became that much harder to perform this exercise. However, this means I can finally gauge this inversely compared to my other workouts and start from a level of assistance that I can slowly build from, shooting back towards the lowest level of assistance.

Running week 2 went good. Today we started week 3. 5 minutes warm up walk, 6 minutes light run (and i mean light), and the rest of the 30 minutes was walk. No knee pain. Good times!

Progress so far

2008-05-06T06:07:00.000-07:00

Hello again. :)

Walked Sunday for 30 minutes and concluded my first week of training. It was good to get that started. So lets see what we got in store for us this week:

Monday: Strength
Tuesday: Run 3 / Walk 27
Wednesday: Strength
Thursday: Run 3 / Walk 27
Friday: Strength
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Run 3 / Walk 27

So how did we do on Monday?
1) Bench: 125lbs 10 reps (level up!)
Wow! I was only on this level for a week!

2) Leg Press: 135lbs 10 reps (level up!)
I decided this was more suiting for me, since squat didn't seem to treat my joints too well.

3) Shoulder press: 95lbs 6 reps
I seem to be stuck here. Perhaps I'm not waiting long enough after leg press (and consequently after bench, of course) to recover. A spotter would definitely help me cap my potential, because the problem with the shoulder press is that its not exactly the safest thing. Luckily, I finally FOUND one! My old friend Carl from last year. What a coincidence, as he comes here every day at the same time I do! Hopefully I'll see him tomorrow and we can make some progress on 95.

4) Biceps 50lbs 10 reps (level up!)
Wow, another surprise.

5) Triceps 35 lbs 5 reps
The difficulty curve for triceps seems to be pretty steep.

6) Rows 75 lbs 10 reps (level up!)
I think I'm finally reaching the level of resistance. I've been flying through these levels like nothing.

7) Pull ups 9 reps (+1!)
:)

And for TODAY...I stretched lightly before my 3/27. Decided to go 5 minutes walk as a warm up, 3 minutes run afterwords, with the rest of the time left for walking. I was actually kind of nervous when the 5 minute mark drew closer. I had not jogged on a treadmill in about 8 months or so, since the knee pain returned. So at 5 minutes, we went at a 10 minute mile pace. There was some very very light pain in my knees, but oddly enough, it went away after about 40 seconds. Finished the 3 minutes without a problem.

30 Minute Walk: the next step

2008-05-01T12:45:00.000-07:00

Bumping up the walking time by 5 minutes didn't seem like a very big deal on paper. But dang, it feels like an eternity longer just to get off that treadmill.

Tuesday and Wednesday

2008-04-30T09:24:00.000-07:00

Did a 25 minute walk Tuesday morning as promised; hwoever, i could have gotten some extra sleep that morning, since I ended up walking for 2~ hours with my cousin Jeff around DC! I felt that Tuesday was such an overhaul (i was dead tired), i would go easy on me and skip Wednesday's workout. Since I biked to work today, i think i can forgive me, since I'm not being anything close to a sloth... Well, not anymore anyway! (it feels good to say that!)

Monday: Revision

2008-04-28T08:45:00.000-07:00

Here's Monday's report. This is crazy!
Bench: 115: 10 reps (level up!)
Squat: 135: 10 reps (level up!)
Shoulders: 95: 6 reps (same)
Biceps: 45: 10 reps (level up!)
Triceps: 30: 10 reps (level up!)
Rows: 60: 10 reps (level up!)
Pullups (assisted): 8 (+1!)

Making progress!

So here's the new plan for this week: Monday: strength training Tuesday: 25 minute walk & stretching Wednesday: strength training (include lower body rehab), stretch Thursday: 30 minute walk, stretch afterwords Friday: strength training (include lower body rehab), stretch Saturday: rest Sunday: 30 minute walk, stretch

Following a plan I found online from a certified trialthlete coach. This was actually the plan i was following when I had my knee problem. *groan* I'm actually feeling a little bit of pain in my right knee today, which is somewhat discouraging. These pains have come and gone in both knees for the last month.

One thing I need to verify is the consistency of wearing orthotics. How often should I wear them? I need to call the office from where I receieved them and get this information.

Do I need to get my knees reexamined by a doctor? Its been...about 4 or 5 months since my last visit. It would be nice to see if any progress has been made concerning the core issue, and of course, it woudl be important to see if any progress was not being made...An option that is always available to me is talking to the trainers at Gold's again and explaining my situation, getting a (paid for) plan that encorporates my problem, thus I get the training I need plus the added bonus of working towards getting my knees better... I would have to actually go to the trouble of getting an actual figure of the estimated cost. If i remember correctly, its not cheap.

Another Catch Up Post

2008-04-25T14:59:00.000-07:00

Hey dudes. Wednesday was your normal cardio and lower body training day. 4:30 was when I reached my 157 HR. Thats an improvement of 30 seconds!

And Thursday, I... I skipped the strength training. I decided to do my research that morning and make sure I had EVERYTHING prepared for my first BIKE TRIP TO WORK! It was fun! It was refreshing! it was a workout! Hahaha.

Friday was the same as Wednesday pretty much! Nothing else really!

Next week we start the 5k training! I'm pumped!

Playing catch up!

2008-04-22T06:50:00.000-07:00

So I forgot to post a few times. Bleh. Lets get you guys caught up.

Friday and Monday cardio days were the same old. Took me around 4 minutes to get to my HR of 157 at level 5 incline. Not too bad at all.

Since I don't have a "timed" training class, I am much more relaxed with my pace. As long as I get in the office between 8 and 9, I don't raise any eyebrows. I'm waking up at 6:00 AM on days where I dont have to come in early or late. So far its been surprisingly normal, thanks to my goal I accomplished last week.

Now today was my first strength training day to be done in the morning. Lets look at how I did:
Bench--- 115, 8 reps (+1 rep!)
Squat---135, 9 reps (+1 rep!)
Shoulders---95, 6 reps (+1 rep!)
biceps---40(80?), 10 reps (+2 reps!, time to level up!)
triceps---30, 7 reps (+2 reps!)
rows---50, 10 reps (+1 rep! time to level up!)
Now for pull ups I did somethign a little different. They had a machine that gave you some minimal assistance. I chose to do this since I strained my back with the normal pull up machine. This seemed a lot more controlled, and I got more out of it, I think. There were weights added to it, but I'm not sure how that works in the grand scheme of providing me with resistance...anyways:
Pullups---7! (+3 reps!!!)
That might not be the same weighted accomplishment as my 4 without the machine. But I got more high-intensity time regardless.

Still need to find a spotter. i won't reach full potential on the free weights without one.

2nd Strength Day: Slow Start, Strong Finish

2008-04-17T19:44:00.001-07:00

Category ,Weight, Reps
Bench, 115lbs, 7reps lowered the weight amount
Squat , 135lbs , 8reps fewer reps than before, probably due to Wednesday's load
Shoulder Press, 95lbs, 5reps fewer reps than before
Bicep Curls, 40(80?)bs, 8reps fewer reps than before
tricep extension, 30lbs, 5reps lowered the weight amount
Standing Rows, 50lbs, 90reps raised the weight amount
Pullups, 4 +1! :)

We're starting to see some stability. I adjusted my loads from Tuesday to better reflect where I stood. I still need a spotter though, and I still~ don't know where to find one. I'm not frustrated with the fewer reps reported today, as I'm expecting that for doing someting 48 hours after being fresh. I expect some improvements next Tuesday. :)

Didn't wake up on time either! Threw me off! But it wasn't my fault! An emergency at 2:30AM woke me up, and I was still writhing about it (even though i fixed it) until about 4:00AM when I finally fell asleep. I suppose its nice to have that hour buffer of sleep though, just in case you have to recap.

Wednesday Update!

2008-04-16T18:54:00.000-07:00

What a creative title, eh?! :)

Weigh in: 175! I went up two pounds from Monday. Is that muscle?! I don't know! I did have two slightly heavier meals on Tuesday than what I am used to. Hey, someone had to finish those porkchops for dinner... and that beef goodness for lunch (which was free by the way!).

Cardio: Reached my 157 rate at level 5 elevation, 3 minutes into my 15 minute routine.. This is a great improvement from Monday, which I believe was level 3 elevation at 2 1/2 minutes. Maybe this is a sign of my body getting used to waking up earlier.

Remember, thats my goal for this week: waking up an hour early every day to fit in that morning workout! This actually is already having interesting effects. Monday, woke up at 7:59 with the alarm set for 8:00, and today I woke up at 6:45, 15 minutes before the alarm... which I had forgot to turn on! Its a good thing my internal clock wasn't slacking off.

Tomorrow is another strength day. Cadence 5/5 is some good hardy stuff. Hopefully with some good sleep I'll be ready to attack it head on tomorrow!

Strength Training: First Day!

2008-04-15T16:55:00.001-07:00

What a humbling experience this was... I was utilizing a technique I picked up from the blogosphere where you take your reps in 5 second intervals (5 seconds extending/contracting, 5 seconds returning to normal position). Here's how I fared

Category ,Weight, Reps
Bench, 135lbs, 3reps
Squat , 135lbs , 9reps
Shoulder Press, 95lbs, 8reps
Bicep Curls, 85lbs, 11reps
tricep extension, 40lbs, 4reps
Standing Rows, 40lbs, 13reps
Pullups, 3

I should probably back off the bench and triceps in retrospect, and I can probably raise my weight amount in bicep curls and standing rows. Bottom line though is I will need to find someone to do this with. Without a spotter I can't go until my muscles fail, and thats the whole point!

Tomorrow is cardio/lowerbody mass. This time I'll have plenty of time to get it all done without worrying about where my training place is located.

Excuses Excuses

2008-04-15T08:15:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I woke up at 6:30 like I wanted. :)

But I didn't work ou like I wanted.

I rationalized that I would be distracted trying to find my way to my training location today, attempting to crunch for time. So, perhaps this was a good decision. I made my initial goal of waking up early though. That has to be the first step I want to get accomplished.

So that means I get to do my strength training after my work-related training today without any distractions. I look forward to it.

Morning Madness

2008-04-14T19:33:00.000-07:00

Weighed in at 173 this morning. Not too bad at all. And yes, I'm working out before work. Crazy stuff, it was a first. 15 minutes on the treadmill for the Monday cardio. Surprisingly, it only took level 3 escalate to reach my max heart rate instead of level 7 (when I do it after work!) I'm not sure what that means, but I don't think its anything too important. Stretching before bed tonight, as always. :)

Introduction

2008-04-09T10:01:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, thanks for coming. This blog is dedicated to following up on my progress towards my fitness goals, as well as establishing some sort of accountability for the long run. Living by myself, its easy to for me to convince...me... to pass up things I really don't feel like doing, but should be doing. We've all been there. The whole internal struggle drama thing. So epic it requires italicized text to build on the drama.

Intense...

But seriously. Here's where we stand.

The goal: i want to run and complete a 5k. Simple enough. This is a stepping stone in my progression towards completing my first sprinters triathlon. It doesn't have to be record pace or by any means fast. I just want to complete it without (much) struggle.

Current status: I've received my orthodics and purchased my brand new running shoes, both fit for neutral support for folks like me that run most often on the outsides of their feet. These are both implemented into my strategy to address a knee problem I developed in September; some sort of misalignment in the joint. I basically couldn't stand for 5 minutes without a dull pain in both knees. It was very discouraging.

On this beautiful March 9th spring day, yours truly comes in at a respectable 170ish pounds (most scales tend to agree on this) and have a few inches on the waist I'd like purged. Furthermore, the pain in my knees has somewhat subsided due to my orthodics. Encouraging.

Current plan: I'm dedicating April to preparation to start a 5k training plan in May. As a lazy bum, I must first win any battles against my willpower to actually go to the gym. Thus, I've been working in the routine slowly, this week having gone 3 times (MWF) to do a 10-15 minute cardio walk and strength training for lower body. I hope to incorporate some upper body training Tuesday and Thursday, something suitable for a runner. I'm not quite sure how I will go about this. Preferably something toned rather than appearing quite brutish, like my little twin brothers.

My diet consists of pretty much anything I want to eat right now, but that doesn't mean I eat anything. I believe I have good common sense when it comes to a healthy meal. I've recently become a big rice fan.

In other news, I met someone in the office who has already done several triathlons in the past. She has experience with many "eastern" things, like acupuncture, drinks, and so forth. I might just have to ask her about those. Its curious.

Well, nothing else to report as of right now. :)