December 2008
53 posts
1 tag
Dec 1st
November 2008
54 posts
3 tags
Day 12, StrongLifts 5x5 Beginner Strength Training...
Squat 5 x 5 x 215lb Press 5 x 5 x 120lb Deadlift 1 x 5 x 275lb Weighted Pullups 3 x 5 x 90lb Felt solid today. The squats are really feeling good. I finally feel like I’m using the right muscles to drive the weight and getting good depth while maintaining the proper lower back position. Everything else was alright, but I should note that I’m mixing...
Nov 30th
3 tags
Day 11, StrongLifts 5x5 Beginner Strength Training...
Squat 5 x 5 x 210lb Bench Press 5 x 5 x 180lb Power Clean 5 x 5 x 145lb Weighted Dips 3 x 5 x 65lb I was feeling a little sore from yesterday’s Thanksgiving workout, but I felt surprisingly good in the gym today. I fucking murdered the squats. Focusing on pushing the knees out helped me maintain good speed and I felt a solid hip drive, which made the...
Nov 28th
5 tags
Sequential Fatigue Challenge
Met up with some of my kung fu brothers for an “earn that bird” Thanksgiving morning workout at the track in McCarren Park. Since I like to do devilish, awful workouts on holidays, we went for Ross’s much-dreaded Sequential Fatigue Challenge: 10 Burpees Sprint 50 meters 10 Plyometric Pushups Jog back to start 15 Diamond Pushups Sprint 50 meters 10 Knee Tucks Jog back to...
Nov 27th
2 tags
7, 14, 21
Quick circuit to get in my 42 burpees for the day: 7 Burpees 14 Situps 21 Med Ball Slams Repeat 6x Total time: 6:47. Not bad, I was able to plow through with no rest, but I lost some time dealing with sweat issues on the medicine ball (which I’m used to by now). I wanted to keep it brief today because I got something awful cooked up for tomorrow.
Nov 27th
2 tags
Kung Fu class
Small class for the day before Thanksgiving, so we kept things informal. Started with a quick circuit warmup of 10 pushups, 10 situps, 10 squats, 10 jumping jacks 3x. Then we did some pad work to drill some basic combinations. We ran through Gung Ji as a group a couple of times before going into actual sparring. The sparring session was good today but everyone was a little sloppy for some reason,...
Nov 27th
The Worst Mistake In The History Of The Human Race →
“[R]ecent discoveries suggest that the adoption of agriculture, supposedly our most decisive step toward a better life, was in many ways a catastrophe from which we have never recovered. With agriculture came the gross social and sexual inequality, the disease and despotism,that curse our existence.”
Nov 26th
“He had no need to be strict with himself, as he had very quickly been brought...”
– Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina See? Tolstoy knew the deal in 1873 - starch and sugar makes one fleshy.
Nov 25th
3 tags
Day 10, StrongLifts 5x5 Beginner Strength Training...
Squat 5 x 5 x 205lb Press 5 x 5 x 115lb Deadlift 1 x 5 x 265lb Weighted Pullups 3 x 5 x 85lb I felt like crud walking to the gym this morning - sore legs and shoulders - but it didn’t seem to really effect my performance much. Speed and depth were both good on the squats today and I felt really solid overall. The press felt a little off and I wasn’t...
Nov 25th
2 tags
Kung Fu class
Went through the workout with the beginners’ class today and assisted in teaching forms. After they left I practiced Ji Mo Seung Do for a bit. Also did my 40 burpees when no one was looking.
Nov 25th
4 tags
Jump Rope Intervals
Got to the kung fu school a little early and squeezed in a quick interval session. 12 x 1 min (30 sec rest) Tried to maintain the high-knee-sprint-in-place method of skipping throughout. I would have liked to do a bit more, but I ran out of time.
Nov 25th
Nov 24th
1 tag
Nov 24th
Kaboom Playspace Finder →
Great resource for finding space for outdoor workouts.
Nov 24th
1 note
3 tags
Day 9, StrongLifts 5x5 Beginner Strength Training...
Squat 5 x 5 x 200lb Bench Press 5 x 5 x 175lb Power Cleans 5 x 5 x 140lb Weighted Dips 3 x 5 x 60lb Took a little longer than usual to warm up today. Once I got there I felt OK. Didn’t have my normal speed on the upward drive on the squat today, but the weight was still pretty easy. The power cleans felt great today - I concentrated on keeping my arms...
Nov 23rd
3 tags
Core Training
Using my gorgeous, new, nurse-constructed parallettes (thank god Zach’s dyad has a hacksaw), I worked on my L-sits after my GPP session. 2 min L-sit (30, 15, 15, 30, 15, 15) 2 min plank 1 min side plank (each side) Kept it pretty light today…can’t be too sore for my strength session tomorrow don’t ya know.
Nov 23rd
5 tags
Hybrid Tabata Intervals
Follow the tabata interval protocol (20 seconds work/10 seconds rest) for the following exercises: Burpees (9, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 7, 8) Pushups (15, 15, 13, 12, 10, 11, 11, 10) Mountain Climbers Squats (21, 20, 20, 20, 20, 19, 20, 19) Chinnies Repeat circuit 8x for 20 minutes total. I was originally planning on doing a slightly different version of this workout outdoors, but it got cold out...
Nov 22nd
3 tags
Day 8, StrongLifts 5x5 Beginner Strength Training...
Squat 5 x 5 x 195lb Press 5 x 5 x 110lb Deadlift 1 x 5 x 255lb Weighted Chinups 3 x 5 x 80lb Meh, average day at the Fifth Ave Gym in Park Slope. Didn’t feel great, but I hit all the weights without a problem. I forsee deadlift problems in the future if I don’t get some chalk for my sweaty, sweaty hands. You can’t lift what you can’t hold,...
Nov 22nd
“When I walk across my living room from my chimney to my window, it takes me ten...”
– Jean-Claude Van Damme
Nov 21st
Nov 21st
2 tags
Kung Fu class
Used the short ICT workout as a warmup, then did another circuit for wrist/hand training: Tiger claw squeezing sand bag x 60 sec Stick wrist flicks x 60 sec Kiu Sau x 60 sec Repeat 2x Followed that with 3 sets of 10 pushups - fingertip, knuckle, regular. Followed that with 5 minutes of three star block. Then we went into the ring of fire drill, which led into sparring. Sparred for a few...
Nov 20th
3 tags
Mini Minute Drill Circuit
Four guys in Kung Fu class tonight; four stations: Burpees x 60 sec (25, 22, 23) Body Rows x 60 sec Heavy Bag Combinations x 60 sec Wrist Roller x 60 sec Repeat 3x, resting 60 sec between rounds. Total burpees = 70. Average burpees/min = 23.3
Nov 20th
Top Ten and a Half Training Tips for Martial Arts →
“Aerobic training is pretty much a total waste of time. There is nothing in any martial art that is done aerobically. It is done at high intensity, explosively, and at full speed, usually without oxygen. Martial arts take place at the limits of the anaerobic threshold. There is no benefit to doing long, slow training of any kind.”
Nov 19th
3 tags
Tabata Burpees
Well I’ll be damned if I didn’t plum forget about my daily burpees yesterday. I did some quick math and realized that I could probably fit yesterday and today’s burpees (67) into a tabata interval cycle: Tabata Burpees (9, 9, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8) Finished a total of 66 burpees, one shy of what I owed, so I did that extra one.
Nov 19th
3 tags
Day 7, StrongLifts 5x5 Beginner Strength Training...
Squat 5 x 5 x 190lb Bench Press 5 x 5 x 170lb Power Cleans 5 x 5 x 135lb Weighted Dips 3 x 5 x 50lb Late night session at the 5th Ave Gym tonight. Felt good with everything except my very last rep of the power cleans - I pulled the weight from the floor with my arms, which felt terrible. Power cleans from the floor are much easier than hang power cleans though,...
Nov 19th
2 tags
Kung Fu class
Worked out with the beginners class - lots of stance training and basics before going into forms. Helped out some of the newer students with Gung Ji. When they left ran through Fu Hok Seung Ying Kuen a bit and then some work on the bench form.
Nov 18th
1 tag
Nov 17th
3 tags
Day 6, StrongLifts 5x5 Beginner Strength Training...
Squat 5 x 5 x 185lb Press 5 x 5 x 105lb Deadlift 1 x 5 x 245lb Weighted Pullups 3 x 5 x 75lb Those little 2.5lb plates were nowhere to be found today, so I jumped to 185lb on the squat. Formwise, everything felt pretty good. I’ve been doing a bit of glute-activation exercises as part of my warmup, but I did a bit more than usual today and felt the...
Nov 17th
3 tags
All The Tools You Need
With Zachry at the 5th Ave Gym. We spent some time working on our form on squats, deadlifts, presses, and junk before deciding to do a mini timed circuit: Burpees x 30 sec (13, 12, 11, 9, 9) Pullups x 30 sec (20, 13, 10, 8, 9) Situps x 30 sec (20, 16, 14, 13, 12) DB Swings (55lb) x 30 sec (14, 14, 13, 12, 13) Repeat 5x, resting 30 sec between rounds. It’s so nice to have someone...
Nov 15th
1 tag
“Each rep is deweighted fully on the floor. No touch and go. This is called the...”
– Rippetoe & Kilgore on the deadlift, Starting Strength
Nov 14th
3 tags
Day 5, StrongLifts 5x5 Beginner Strength Training...
Squat 5 x 5 x 175lb Bench Press 5 x 5 x 165lb Hang Power Cleans 5 x 5 x 130lb Weighted Dips 3 x 5 x 45lb Rough day. I was feeling sore and crumby this morning, probably from overdoing it at Kung Fu (lots of stance training). The soreness didn’t prevent me from hitting any of the weights - just took me a bit longer to warm up and feel good today. Finished...
Nov 14th
Basic Strength Standards →
Lawd, I got a long way to go. Looks like I’m mostly falling into the Intermediate range for my bodyweight.
Nov 14th
2 tags
Kung Fu class
Did my 29 burpees before class today. After the regular warmup and some stance work, we drilled the beginners on double dragon step, hanging horse, front snap kick from all our forms. Saw some ugly looking kicks, so we stopped and worked on the front snap kick for a while. Then we worked on the bong sau for a while. After class I worked on Fuk Fu a few times before Sifu taught us some more of the...
Nov 14th
2 tags
Kung Fu practice
Open practice at the school. Ran through the bench section Sifu taught me last week 20x, then did some work on the sword. Ran through Hang Yuet Darn Dao 6x, focusing on getting the form to flow and not putting too much muscle into it.
Nov 13th
3 tags
Sebum, Sebum, Sebum, Sebum
Quick circuit to get in my burpees for the day: 7 Burpees 7 Pullups 7 Dips 7 Knees-to-Elbows Repeat 4x Total time: 4:45. Got my daily burpees (7 * 4 = 28) in and got a good warmup for some kung fu practice. Strangely, the sweat didn’t really start flowing until later on in my workout.
Nov 13th
What is The Primal Blueprint? →
Like the paleo diet, but simpler and broader rules. “The Primal Blueprint is a set of simple instructions (the blueprint) that allows you to control how your genes express themselves in order to build the strongest, leanest, healthiest body possible, taking clues from evolutionary biology (that’s the primal part).”
Nov 12th
3 tags
Day 4, StrongLifts 5x5 Beginner Strength Training...
Squat 5 x 5 x 170lb Press 5 x 5 x 100lb Deadlift 1 x 5 x 235lb Weighted Chinups 3 x 5 x 70lb Form felt solid today. My deadlifting needs work, but as long as I concentrate on the necessary cues I can lift safely. Finished with today’s dose of 27 burpees. Total gym time: 45 mins. This is the first time I’ve felt fatigued walking home since I started...
Nov 12th
2 tags
Kung Fu class
I went through the warmup and loads of stance drills with the beginners today - all basic, good stuff. Afterwards, helped them with the beginner forms. I was feeling sorta rusty on Fuk Fu so I worked on that after class, plus my 26 burpees for the day.
Nov 11th
1 tag
Nov 10th
Great Power Clean Video →
Complete with physics.
Nov 10th
Good Power Clean Video →
Nov 9th
3 tags
Day 3, StrongLifts 5x5 Beginner Strength Training...
Squat 5 x 5 x 165lb Bench Press 5 x 5 x 160lb Hang Power Cleans 5 x 5 x 125lb Weighted Dips 3 x 5 x 35lb I’ll be squatting barefoot for the duration of this program if I can get away with it. My form feels rock solid on the back squat. The weights are still feeling light, not dealing with any soreness. Finished with my 25 burpees for the day. In and out...
Nov 9th
3 tags
GPP Circuit
Burpees x 30 sec (12) Split Jumps x 30 sec Mountain Climbers x 30 sec Jumping Jacks x 30 sec Burps x 30 sec Grasshoppers x 30 sec Repeat 5x, resting 30 sec between rounds. Today I realized that when I workout in the kids’ playroom in my building I can bring my computer down and listen to music. Joyful.
Nov 8th
2 tags
Core Training
Standing Wheel Rollout x 5  Hollow Rocks x 15 Birddogs x 20 Chinnes x 100  Repeat 4x Finisher: 2 min plank hold. Man, I let those standing wheel rollouts get away from me. After the first set I had to use the wall to as a stopper because I couldn’t get full extension.
Nov 8th
3 tags
Day 2, StrongLifts 5x5 Beginner Strength Training...
Here we go: Squat 5 x 5 x 160lb Press 5 x 5 x 95lb Deadlift 1 x 5 x 225lb Weighted Pullups 3 x 5 x 65lb Lifted barefoot again, still feeling solid with my form. I included some warmup sets for each exercise and I’m still trying to figure out the ideal rest time between sets. The weights still feel easy so I moved pretty quickly (about 90 sec rest), but...
Nov 7th
2 tags
Kung Fu class
Standard warmup and drills for the beginners followed by the “Sifu Says” drill and then building on that with a simple tiger claw application. After class I ran through Ng Lung Ba Gwa Gwan and felt pretty solid. Then Sifu broke out the bench and taught us the first few moves - awesome stuff. Plus my 22 burpees of course.
Nov 7th
2 tags
Kung Fu class
Frank led the warmup tonight: lots of pushups, situps, and body crawls were included. Then we did some pad/heavy bag combo intervals -  2 minutes of work, 1 min rest - repeated twice. Then some light sparring before working on forms. I practiced Ng Lung Ba Gwa Gwan a bit and helped some guys out with Hang Yuet Darn Dao and Ji Mo Seung Do…oh, and did my 21 burpees.
Nov 6th
Developing Hip Function: A Hallmark of Athleticism →
“The musculature around the hips is possibly the most important complex in the body, yet is underdeveloped in most people. You can look at a person’s movements throughout this area - their ability to open and close the hips, surrounding musculature, flexibility - and get a very good read on where they are athletically.”
Nov 5th
1 tag
“Hey, what’s with the grin? How’d ya get so happy with yourself? Let...”
– Mickey
Nov 5th
3 tags
Day 1, StrongLifts 5x5 Beginner Strength Training...
I started a modified version of the Stronglifts 5x5 Strength Cycle today. The program has me lifting 3x a week (Tues, Fri, Sun) for 10 weeks, squatting everyday and alternating between other major lifts on a 2 day split. Everything follows a linear periodization where I increase the weight slightly each session. The only modifications I made were including power cleans (in place of inverted rows),...
Nov 4th