April 2009
56 posts
1 tag
“You must not only aim right, but draw the bow with all your might.”
– Henry David Thoreau
March 2009
53 posts
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Kung Fu class
I warmed up the first class of the evening and worked out along side them. Assisted Sifu for the remainder of the classes and then worked on the bench form a bit afterwards.
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Day 20, Texas Method Intermediate Strength Program
Recovery day:
Front Squat
3 x 3 x 220lb
Press
2 x 5 x 130lb
Hang Power Clean
3 x 3 x 130lb
Turkish Get Ups
3 x 3 x 65lb
Overhead Squats
3 x 3 x 110lb
Pullups 3 x 10
A much-needed light day since I’m feeling pretty sore from Friday’s session. Started with 5 rounds of Cindy to warm up. Everything felt solid today, especially those OHS. I was tempted to give...
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“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of...”
– Helen Keller
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Day 19, Texas Method Intermediate Strength Program
Volume day:
Squat
5 x 5 x 280lb
Push Press 6 x 3 x 165lb
Power Clean
6 x 3 x 165lb
Weighted Chinups
3 x 5 x 105lb
Weighted Dips 3 x 5 x 105lb
Did my burpee/samson stretch warmup again - 20 burpees, 20 seconds samson stretch on each side; 15 burpees, 15 sec samson stretch; 10 burpees, 10 sec samson stretch; and 5 burpees, 5 sec samson stretch. The squats were tough, but those...
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Kung Fu class
Graduated the foundations crew tonight and I made them work for it - 3 min horse stance ‘test,’ drilled the basics, and reviewed all the techniques we covered. Assisted Sifu with the Level I guys and then worked the bench form afterwards.
Turn Your Protein Shake Into A Super Shake →
Lordavemercy!
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“The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary...”
– Hans Hofmann
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“Stick to the basics and when you feel you’ve mastered them it’s time...”
– Coach Glassman
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Explosive Strength Training
Another day at the Zermatt Resort in Utah. They don’t have barbells but they DO have dumbbells up to 70lbs, so I went for an explosive strength workout:
1 Arm DB Snatch
5 x 3/side x 65lb
Double DB Push Press
5 x 3 x 65lb
Complex Pair - repeat 4x (Rest 60 sec between B & C and D & A) One Arm Bench Press x 5/arm x 70lb
Plyometric Pushups x 8
Bulgarian Split Squats x...
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Bike Intervals
At the lovely Zermatt Resort in Midway Utah for business. I decided that I need to spend some time on a bike (even if it is stationary) to prepare for this year’s Muddy Buddy race with Zach. Started with some mobility exercises and 3x3 Turkish Get Ups with 65lb to warm up. Then onto the bike:
6 x 3 min (1 min rest)
Total - 18 minutes of work. I didn’t get winded at all, but my legs...
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“To derive power from a ritual it must, in some way, stand apart from our...”
– Renee Beck and Sydney Metrick, The Art of Ritual
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Day 18, Texas Method Intermediate Strength Program
Intensity day:
Squat
1 x 5 x 315lb
Push Press 1 x 3 x 175lb
Deadlift
1 x 1 x 395lb
Squatting 315 feels like a big milestone to me - probably because it’s 3 plates loaded on each side of the bar and looks impressive. Then again, it’s just 5lbs more than I did last week. I’m happy either way. I only did one rep on the deadlift because I forgot my chalk and I...
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Hybrid Tabata Intervals
Follow the tabata interval protocol (20 seconds work/10 seconds rest) for the following exercises, in a circuit:
Burpees (9, 9, 9, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8)
Mountain Climbers
Pushups (22, 17, 14, 15, 14, 14, 15, 13)
Squats (19, 20, 20, 20, 20, 20, 20, 20)
Chinnies
Repeat circuit 8x for 20 minutes total.
This is a real ass kicker. My burpee numbers improved slightly from last time (+3), squats were...
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Day 17, Texas Method Intermediate Strength Program
Recovery day:
Front Squat
3 x 3 x 215lb
Press
2 x 5 x 125lb
Overhead Squats
2 x 5 x 105lb
Hang Power Clean
3 x 3 x 125lb
Turkish Get Ups
2 x 3 x 65lb
Well, I’ve had five days to recover from my last volume day, so I was plenty recovered by the time I hit the gym. Everything was gravy today. Total gym time: 45 mins.
Spreadsheet of my entire program »
Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training DVD →
I’m going to have to pick this up in the near future.
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Kung Fu class
I was short on time tonight so I was only able to stick around for the foundations class. I worked out along with them to make sure I got a good sweat in tonight - mostly stance drills and some basic techniques.
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“I hated every minute of training but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now...”
– Muhammad Ali
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Kung Fu class
The usual suspects showed up for sparring class tonight. Ran through a quick circuit warmup then worked the basic kicks with the pads for a while before going into sparring. Kept things pretty light tonight but we all got a good workout.
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“Those who work the hardest tend to complain the least.”
– Unknown
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Review: Metropolitan Pool & Fitness Center -...
This is the second nicest pool I’ve come across in the NYC rec centers, after Chelsea. There are only three lanes, but if you can find a time during the day when the pool isn’t crowded and the sunlight is streaming through the skylights, the Metropolitan Pool is beautiful place to swim. When it’s crowded (which is most of the time, as far as I can tell), it turns into a real...
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“Think like a man of action, act like a man of thought.”
– Henri L. Bergson
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Kung Fu class
Got a good sweat going today! Put the foundations class through the wringer first and drilled lots of application. Then I worked out with the Level I class. Sifu had us do lots of stance drills followed by some basic butterfly palm and tiger claw drills. We did a ton of repetitions in the air and with a partner (class lasted 90 min today) and we were all pretty beat by the end of it.
Selling Ill Health: Real Foods Vs. Fake Foods →
“Stick to the real stuff and you won’t have to worry about whether you should be eating this margarine or that margarine. These companies are playing on your confusion to sell you products that have been stripped down to what nutritionism has determined are the nutrients of the week.”
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Day 16, Texas Method Intermediate Strength Program
Volume day today:
Squat
5 x 5 x 275lb
Push Press 6 x 3 x 160lb
Power Clean
6 x 3 x 160lb
Weighted Chinups
3 x 5 x 100lb *FAIL* (5, 2, 5)
One Arm Pushups 2 x 5/side
Well, I made my numbers for everything except the weighted chinups today but nothing felt good. To make sure I was sufficiently warmed up today I did 20 burpees followed by 20 seconds samson stretch on each side;...
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“Pain is simply weakness leaving the body.”
– Navy Seal saying
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Day 15, Texas Method Intermediate Strength Program
Intensity day today:
Squat
1 x 5 x 310lb
Push Press 1 x 2 x 170lb
Deadlift
1 x 2 x 385lb
Turkish Get Ups 1 x 1 x 100lb
I don’t think I warmed up properly today because I wasn’t even sweating when I approached my work set for the squats. I did some joint rotations and light sets before attempting 310, but I didn’t do any kind of mini-met con to get the juices...
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“If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what...”
– Unknown
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Kung Fu class
I took it pretty easy today since I haven’t had an official rest day in a while (and I ate shortly before class). Ran the foundations group first and worked them pretty hard. Then I warmed up the second class and took a back seat assisting Sihing Malcolm. We worked a lot of crane techniques and practiced getting the feel of whipping power.
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“A fight is not won by one punch or kick. Either learn to endure or hire...”
– Bruce Lee
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Double Under Intervals + Tabata Burpees
Grabbed the rope and got to work after class:
5 x 2 min Double Unders (101, 89, 91, 73, 81)
Total work time: 10 minutes. Resting 2 minutes between sets.
Very frustrating workout, my numbers were much better last time. I was wearing my baggier kung fu pants today, which made it very difficult to get going once I tripped up. I think this is the last time I do this one in my kung fu uniform....
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Kung Fu class
We started with a mini circuit warmup, three stations::
Tiger Rolling Pushups x 60 sec
Body Rows x 60 sec
Medicine Ball Slams x 60 sec
Repeat 3x, resting 60 seconds between rounds. Those body rows were unexpectedly difficult. Averaged about 28 pushups, 35 body rows, and 46 slams.
We did some three star block to catch our breath and then did some combo drills with the mitts. After that we...
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Workout Blogs on Tumblr
I’ve been using Tumblr to manage and publish my workout log since January 2008. I hadn’t seen anyone else doing it at that time, but it seemed like a simple solution and allows me to update my log anywhere and keep track of my progress. After a little over a year of dedicated posting, I’ve grown to love the tumblr platform and have even found a few other like-minded people...
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“Hard work will never kill you,
‘Tis said all over town;
Sweat is the...”
– Unknown
Alzheimer's 'is brain diabetes' →
“Sensitivity to insulin can decline with aging, which presents a novel risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease - our results demonstrate that bolstering insulin signalling can protect neurons from harm.”
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Day 14, Texas Method Intermediate Strength Program
Recovery day:
Front Squat
3 x 3 x 210lb
Press
2 x 5 x 120lb
Hang Power Clean
3 x 3 x 120lb
Overhead Squats
2 x 5 x 100lb
Turkish Get Ups
1 x 3 x 60lb
Man, waking up before the sun rises sucks. It was a long, sore walk to the gym this morning and I my hamstrings and lower back were feeling pretty bad. Volume day wears me out, so let’s hope recovery day does was...
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Kung Fu class
The standard Monday - foundations class at 7, Level I at 8. I was too busy instructing in the foundations class to get much of a workout, but I worked myself (along with the other guys) in the second class. I also stuck around and worked Tiet Sien Kuen after everyone left.
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Day 13, Texas Method Intermediate Strength Program
Volume day today:
Squat
5 x 5 x 270lb
Push Press 6 x 3 x 155lb
Power Clean
6 x 3 x 155lb
Weighted Chinups
3 x 5 x 95lb
Weighted Dips
3 x 5 x 95lb
Squats felt good but I almost had a problem on the last rep of my last set. Whether from fatigue or moisture, the bar slipped a little on my back and could have caused a serious problem if the weight wasn’t as manageable....
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Kung Fu class
Last minute change of plans freed up my afternoon for a rare Saturday visit to the kung fu school. Sihing Al ran the show and drilled us on some butterfly palm application after a good warmup. Got a great sweat going today. It’s always nice to turn your brain off and just follow the class sometimes, so that’s what I did. Worked Yu Ga Dai Pa after class and felt excellent.
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Day 12, Texas Method Intermediate Strength Program
Intensity day today:
Squat
1 x 1 x 305lb
Push Press 1 x 1 x 165lb
Deadlift
1 x 1 x 375lb
Turkish Get Ups 1 x 1 x 95lb
I was feeling lousy and almost ditched out of today’s session because I had some inexplicable soreness in my lats and glutes. Decided to man up and go anyway and everything turned out to be cream cheese. I mistakenly only did one rep of squats (wrote it...
“If you don’t bend those legs and do those squats, you’ll never reach...”
– Paul Anderson
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Kung Fu class
Another strong foundations class today - filled with lots of application and sweat. Sihing Malcolm put us through the paces with the second class and then we stuck around and Sifu straightened us out on the bench form.
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Kung Fu class
Informal class tonight - after a warmup, we drilled some punch/elbow combos and then worked on form a bit. I worked on the bench form a bit and wasn’t feeling too good about it. Then I worked on Yu Ga Dai Pa and felt really good - the fork just felt good tonight.
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“Once one learns to quit, it quickly becomes habit.”
– Vince Lombardi
A free gym in Europe? →
From the comments: “This is more or less the business model of credit card companies. Procrastinators and deadbeats subsidize the smugly virtuous.”