ActivitiesGuy Intro and Log

Training Training Logs
181

Good to hear, twojar. You’ll be happy with that purchase, guaranteed.

Saturday 7/19

Dumbbell Workout (30 Minutes)

In a hotel overnight with my GF, got up at 6 AM today for a quick workout while she ran on the treadmill (moving her into a new apartment today). I love Hilton hotel chains because most of them have a nice dumbbell rack going from 5-50, always good for a little pump work in a pinch. Did a couple sets of raises with 5-10-15’s, curls with 20-25-30’s, presses with the 35-40-45-50’s, and then a bunch of sets of incline bench with the 50’s once I was good and warmed up.

182

Sunday 7/20

Kettlebell Workout (48 Minutes)

Started out with some cleans and presses, then some swings, then 10 sets of 50-yard waiter walks (put the 'bell overhead in one arm and walk with it locked out - great full body exercise), then a bunch more cleans and presses.

183

Monday 7/21

Dumbbell Workout (30 Minutes)

Quick workout at home with my GF. She is a very fit girl - avid yoga practitioner and runner - but doesn’t really do much strength training except for the occasional Jillian Michaels DVD (in the winter she does a little more; in the summer, with the nicer weather she, understandably, prefers running outside to lifting).

She has expressed some interest in doing a bit more strength training, and I’ve encouraged this without making it seem like a big deal, so today she asked if I’d put her through a workout before we parted ways for a few weeks (she’s an opera singer, and thus travels quite a bit for her career; I’ll see her on and off for the next few months) and I happily acquiesced.

I have 10’s, 20’s, 30’s, and 40’s plus a pair of plate-loaded dumbbell handles that weight about 5 pounds, so I started her out with the empty handles while I used the 10’s for my light stuff, then went ahead using my patented work-the-whole-upper-body-at-home-with-lightish-dumbbells-workout-progression:

Rear Delt Raise 10x10’s (5’s for her)
Lateral Raise 10x10’s
Front Raise 10x10’s
Regular Curl 10x20’s (10’s for her)
Hammer Curl 10x20’s
Alternating Curl 10x20’s
Neutral-Grip Shoulder Presses 10x30’s (10’s for her)
Arnold Presses 10x30’s
Shoulder Presses 10x30’s
Dumbbell Rows 20x40’s (20’s for her)
Dumbbell Rows 20x40’s
Dumbbell Rows 20x40’s

All supersetted with an ab exercise between each lift - planks, weighted crunches of various iterations, and weighted Russian twists. Obviously not your classic bodybuilding work, but one must tailor the show to the audience :slight_smile:

I’m not stepping onstage at the Olympia any time soon, so I’m fine with an occasional sub-optimal workout if it’ll get her into a bit of strength training. I enjoy sharing fitness as a hobby/passion with her - going to yoga class together is always great, and eventually we’ll start running together again - so it’d be nice to get her into a little strength work as well. She seems vaguely fascinated by the kettlebell work that I do, and I suspect that kettlebell work’s circuit-training-cardio-like-feel may appeal to her more than traditional weight training, so I’ll keep my eyes out for a light KB (20-25 pounds) that might suit her.

184

Tuesday 7/22 (AM)

Bike To CMU
75 Pull-ups (21 Minutes)
Bike To Work

185

Wednesday 7/23 (AM)

Bike To CMU
75 Pull-ups (20 Minutes)
Bike To Work

Wednesday 7/23 (PM)

Bike To CMU
60 Pull-ups (15 Minutes)
Bike Home

186

Thursday 7/24 (AM)

Did a quick circuit in my apartment fitness center before riding to work this morning. Wanted to get some pressing of some type in, given that I’ve been doing a ton of pull-ups lately and not much pressing. Thus:

Chest Press 5x10x100
Lat Pulldown 5x10x100
Incline Chest Press 5x100, 5x110, 5x120, 5x130, 5x140, 5x150, 10x110

Bike To Work (15 Minutes)

187

Quick question- on the yoga you do. When first getting into it…

  • is it something that kinda beats you up, stresses your body for the next day. Sometimes like a chiropractor appointment would do?

-or is it stress relieving and leaves you feeling more fresh? Like a body massage?

Some of the thinking- is it better to do before a big lift day or before a rest day?

Interested in trying it at least is why I ask… thoughts?

188

[quote]barbedwired wrote:
Quick question- on the yoga you do. When first getting into it…

  • is it something that kinda beats you up, stresses your body for the next day. Sometimes like a chiropractor appointment would do?

-or is it stress relieving and leaves you feeling more fresh? Like a body massage?

Some of the thinking- is it better to do before a big lift day or before a rest day?
[/quote]

Good questions! Having never been to a chiropractor and only had one full-body massage, it is difficult to compare to either, but I will do my best to explain :slight_smile:

I usually leave the yoga studio with a feeling that I would describe as a “pleasantly exhausted” sensation. I’ve been worked over, had a good sweat, but nothing is really sore and I feel pretty energetic, like I could go for a quick run or lift right then. I have, in the past, gone to yoga class in the morning and lifted in the evening, and come out no worse for the wear.

Re: doing it before a big lift day vs. a rest day…yoga is kind of my way of getting some exercise ON a “rest day” from other activities - I view it as a form of active recovery. I really wish I’d known about it when I was playing football, I’d have done it the day after every game.

Thus, I suppose that I suggest doing it the day AFTER your hardest lifting workout of the week, rather than the day BEFORE, if you can arrange your week to try it then.

With that said, I think that it’s a fine idea to do it the day before a big workout (as long as you made sure to properly refuel and rehydrate), and it might even have some benefits if it leaves you feeling especially good, but it also might leave you a bit drained.

Verdict: I would suggest doing it the day AFTER a hard workout if that can fit into your weekly schedule. Failing that, the day BEFORE a hard workout should be okay, but make sure you rehydrate, eat well, and get some rest. I think either is a workable solution. Your call.

*Edited to add: while this is a very different sport, I just recalled that I have done hot yoga the day before several of my best running events. I ran a very good half-marathon the day after a hot yoga class. So I don’t think it would affect your performance the following day ONCE YOU ARE USED TO IT. For the first time, I might not recommend it.

FTR, my father (who still squats and deadlifts more regularly than I do) practices hot yoga 2-3 days a week and feels that it’s helped quite a bit.

189

Awesome response. Yeah… that sounds reasonable. I just wanna get loose, sweatt a bit.

For me - im doing two heavy compound d days. Split apart for recovery. So… monday/friday w. A light day in between.

Id like to do yoga sunday night. As sometimes I get stiff over the weekend and by sunday night I need some loose in up! This might be perfect. Gotta either find a local sunday night class (unlikely). Or a DVD that my wife could do too ( preferably).

Thanks for your insight !

190

[quote]barbedwired wrote:
Id like to do yoga sunday night. As sometimes I get stiff over the weekend and by sunday night I need some loose in up! This might be perfect. Gotta either find a local sunday night class (unlikely). Or a DVD that my wife could do too ( preferably).
[/quote]

That’s a good idea. My dad typically goes Friday evening (after work) and then on Sunday morning; I believe he does a little light overhead pressing on Saturday and then his heavier squat and deadlift work, along with some reverse hypers and lunges, on Monday/Thursday, or something like that. His numbers are nothing to scream about (after a scare with a TIA a few years ago, he no longer pushes really maximal weights anymore), but he can still handle 120 kg for good reps on the squat at nearly 60 years old, putting him far ahead of the general population for sure.

While a DVD sounds attractive because you can do it at home, I recommend at least trying a class at a studio (if you have the means to spend 10-15 bucks a week on a yoga class, which is obviously none of my business). It sounds cheesy, but you really do get some extra “energy” from the class around you and an instructor, and it’s also a HUGE benefit to have a mirror so you can see your postures when appropriate.

Re: a Sunday afternoon class, you may be surprised. Most of the studios that offer “my” type of yoga (Bikram yoga) do have a Sunday afternoon class; my hometown studio here in Pittsburgh offers 7:30 AM, 9:30 AM, 11:30 AM and 4 PM classes on weekends, then a 6 AM, 9:30 AM, 4 PM, 6 PM, 8 PM during the week.

Where are you located? I might be able to do a little research on the local studios for you.

191

Thursday 7/24 (PM)

Bike To CMU
60 Pull-ups (15 Minutes)
Bike Home

Friday 7/25 (AM)

Dumbbell & Kettlebell Circuit (20 Minutes)

Alternated sets of dumbbell raises (rear delt, lateral, and front) with kettlebell clean and presses. Did about 10 sets of each in 20 minutes.

Bike To Work (15 Minutes)

192

Middleville , michigan. Just south of grand rapids. I also have 3 kids… so a sitter every sunday night is unlikely. Tho a cple classes to get started or at least try it is!

193

[quote]barbedwired wrote:
Middleville , michigan. Just south of grand rapids. [/quote]

No kidding! My girlfriend just got a teaching job at Central Michigan, in Mount Pleasant, about 90 minutes from you (I’m quickly learning that Central is 1-2 hours from virtually EVERY major city in Michigan, lol). We just moved her into a place last weekend. Nice town, looking forward to my visits and getting to know the state.

So anyways, I’m not sure whether a “hot” yoga class particularly interests you or not. I always have and always will prefer hot yoga - I like getting a good sweat and I feel (true or not) that the heat and humidity makes me feel extra limber. I practice a specific type known as “Bikram” yoga which appears to have a studio in Grand Rapids (I was thrown off a little at first since it also mentions Traverse City on the website, which I thought was a bit further away, but the address SAYS that it’s in Grand Rapids)

http://www.bikramyogatc.com/

They do offer a Sunday 4 PM class. If you can ever give that a shot, I very strongly recommend that! If not, the other studios that I can find in your area:

http://www.twistedhotyogastudio.com/
http://www.yoga-heat.com/

Hard for me to say exactly what those places are like without checking them out. If you and the wife are willing to pay a babysitter for a little “yoga date night” once every couple weeks, the Bikram studio might well be worth it.

Good luck!

194

Right on ! Thanks. I graduated from Ferris state. Big rapids. Basically just west of CMU.

195

I used to live in Canadian Lakes, just south of Big Rapids. I just sold my house there last year, as a matter of fact. I was renting it out for years before I realized it had tanked in value to about 70% of what I bought it for in 2003.

I don’t know anything about yoga studios in central Michigan, but I can tell you that I always liked The Grunst Brothers variety store in Big Rapids. I remember going there for the first time and being amazed that you could buy porno mags, booze and guns under one roof.

“Yeah, I need a box of condoms, a copy of JUGGZ, two packs of Marlboro’s, a bottle of your cheapest whiskey and your deadliest gun, please.”

Yes, Michigan!

196

Friday 7/25 (PM)

Bike To CMU
78 Pull-ups (20 Minutes)
Bike Home

With all this talk about Central Michigan, just to be clear, references to “CMU” in my log are to Carnegie Mellon University, in Pittsburgh, PA, which is my alma mater and about 2 miles from my house (and my office, making for a neat symmetric workout on my pull-up days: bike 2 miles, bang out pull-ups for 20 minutes, bike 2 more miles).

Central Michigan may be in the offing someday if my GF particularly enjoys her job there. I love the little town on my first visit last weekend: nice little downtown, couple of really good restaurants, farmer’s market, nice parks, and a hot yoga studio. Some good friends live in Ann Arbor, another nice bonus. But this is at least a year or two away; have to see what my GF thinks of the place after living there for a year!

197

Saturday 7/26 (AM)

Bikram Yoga Class (90 Minutes)

Saturday 7/26 (PM)

60 Pull-ups (15 Minutes)

Was planning on just doing yoga, but it was nice out and I had some extra energy, so I hopped on my bike this afternoon and rode to CMU for a short pull-up workout. Rolled right through 15 sets of 4 reps every minute on the minute. Feeling good about the pull-up progress of late. Will time myself for a full 100 rep workout in the next week to see if I’ve improved from 25:41 a couple weeks ago.

198

Sunday 7/27 (AM)

Bikram Yoga Class (90 Minutes)

Sunday 7/27 (PM)

60 Pull-ups (15 Minutes)

199

Monday 7/28 (AM)

Chest Press

3x10x100
3x8x110
3x6x120
3x5x130

Bike To Work (15 Minutes)

With the focus on pull-ups and kettlebell work, my workouts of late have been heavily tilted towards pulling movements (by design), so I’ve decided to add at least one dedicated “pressing” session per week (even if it’s a lightish “pump” workout like the session from this morning, just 12 sets on the chest press machine in my apartment building’s fitness room). The pressing could be machine stuff, DB shoulder presses, incline presses, bench, whatever really, depending on the setting, time, and energy available; the goal isn’t so much to build a big press as it is to keep some modicum of basic pressing movement. My main goal is still to keep cranking up the pull-up volume.

200

Do you mix up new goals from time to time? How do you feel, overall (conditioning wise), by following this type of protocol as opposed to, say, a dedicated lifting regiment?