September 2009
55 posts
2 tags
Kung Fu class
My leg meat and sit bones are pretty sore from yesterday’s triathlon, reaffirming the fact that I am not a biker, so I hung back during the first class of the evening and assisted. After helping the guys out, I worked myself on Hang Yuet Darn Dao for a while. Focusing on the short edged weapons this week!
August 2009
57 posts
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Schiff Scout Off-Road Triathlon 2009
I completed my first ever triathlon today - the Schiff Scout Off-Road Tri in Wading River, NY. I’ve done swim races, road races, swim/run races, and bike/run races, so it was only a matter of time before I took on a full triathlon. The Schiff Scout is a .5 mile swim, 10 mile mountain bike, and a 3.1 mile trail run. My total time was a sluggish 1:59:30, which was good for 53rd place out of...
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“Research your own experiences for the truth, absorb what is useful, reject what...”
– Jiddu Krishnamurti (via)
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Max Effort Turkish Get Ups
Kicked things off with the official TWBS warmup and some light overhead squats.
Turkish Get Ups
3 x 50lb
3 x 60lb
3 x 70lb
2 x 80lb
2 x 90lb
I did these alternating sides and felt pretty good. TGUs wear me out, so I had to take a few minutes between each set to catch my breath and let the floor dry off. 90lbs isn’t a PR, but I’ve never hit it for 2 reps before.
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“If there is no passion in your life, then have you really lived? Find your...”
– T. Alan Armstong
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Kung Fu class
I ran the first crew tonight - standard warmup followed by stance training before we drilled a few hand techniques. Kept it basic, but got a good workout. Hung back while the second class was going on and worked on Ng Lung Ba Gwa Cheung for a while.
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Kung Fu practice
I helped coach the guys during sparring tonight, but I didn’t join in the fun myself. A bunch of my Sihings and I took some pics for the new and improved web site I’m working on, so I had some practice holding poses while waiting for the shutter to snap. Also worked on a little bit of Fu Hok Sueng Ying Kuen.
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Burpee Barnstormer
21, 15, 9 of the following:
Burpees
Med Ball Slams
Med Ball Swings
Total time: 4:00. Hey, it’s just a warmup baby!
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Triathlon Prep
Trying to incoporate biking into my conditioning workouts:
2 miles on stationary bike
20 pullups
Repeat 3x
Total time: 16:03.
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Max Effort Bench Press
Warmed up with some pushups and DB swings, then got on the bench:
Bench Press
3 x 225lb
3 x 245lb
3 x 265lb
1 x 285lb
1 x 305lb (PR)
Huge PR for me. I probably wouldn’t have even attempted 300+, but the guy who was spotting me convinced me I had it after he watched me press 285. It was slow and tough, but I got it and feel really good about it.
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Kung Fu class
Sat back and went through the warmup with the first class and then assisted with forms. Ran the second class and helped the guys with more forms. Squeezed in some work on Fu Hok Seung Ying Kuen when I had some free time.
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“Have no fear of perfection - you’ll never reach it.”
– Salvador Dali
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Kung Fu practice
Managed to get outside to the Old Stone House between the opressive heat and the sudden downpours to work on my forms a little. I’m feeling pretty sore in the buttocks from yesterday’s BSSs, so I thought some Tiet Sient Kuen would help flush out the bad chi. Ran through it a couple of times and worked on Gung Ji for a while. Ran through the sprinkler the little kiddies to cool down...
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“The man who insists upon seeing with perfect clearness before he decides, never...”
– Henri-Frederic Amiel (via)
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Quick Circuit
Didn’t have much left in the tank, so I cooked up this quick finisher:
5 Sumo Deadlift High Pulls (90lb)
10 Dips
15 Medicine Ball Slams
Repeat 5x
Total time: 4:28.
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Max Effort Bulgarian Split Squats
Since the heavy pistols I did last week weren’t so kind to my back, I opted for another single leg exercise today. Warmed up with some light back squats (3 x 5 x 225lb), which got me sweating pretty good, before grabbing the dumbbells.
Bulgarian Split Squats
3 x 50lb
3 x 65lb
3 x 80lb
1 x 90lb
1 x 100lb
1 x 110lb *FAIL*
Weight listed is the weight of the dumbbell I held in...
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“Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.”
– Unknown
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Swim Intervals
At the Chelsea Rec Center on a blissfully uncrowded Friday summer morning. I had an entire lane to myself for part of the time today!
300m warm up
200m kick (100 front, 50 left, 50 right)
Intervals - repeat 10x
25 freestyle sprint
25 breaststroke
250m cool down
Total time: 30 minutes. Total distance: 1250m.
Not everything is blissful about summer mornings - I haven’t been...
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Kung Fu class
It’s hot out, fellas. Even with the air conditioning pumping (which I’m against), the school is still a little hot box on days like today. I literally had to wring my shirt out in the sink between classes today.
First class was tough - after the warmup we drilled a few sections of Gung Ji a bunch of times. Then we worked on a few techniques in those sections. Second class was more of...
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Kung Fu class
Wednesday is sparring night at the kwoon. After a quick circuit-style warm up, we drilled chop choy for a while and partnered up with it before sparring. Rotated through so everyone got a chance with everyone else. Good workout today.
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Max Effort Deadlift
Warmed up with my official TWBS warmup, which always gets the sweat pumping. Then tried my second attempt at ME deadlifts, with a better strategy:
Deadlift
3 x 315lb
3 x 345lb
3 x 375lb
1 x 425lb
1 x 445lb
1 x 465lb *FAIL*
Still not near my PR, but that was at the end of my Texas Method cycle and I haven’t been doing a lot of heavy deadlifting. We’ll see where I stand...
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“Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly...”
– Aristotle
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Kung Fu class
Warmed up the beginners class with the standard stuff before going into form work tonight. After class I worked on Chun Choi Dai Dao with the various kwan daos in the school (the wobbly one and the heavy one). I need to get a nice, balanced training kwan dao of my own already. I’m trying out a new practice cycle to make sure I get all of the core forms in regular rotation. This week...
Bolt seeks new sort of yam power for world title... →
“Usain Bolt’s love affair with the yam will literally step up a level on Saturday when the Jamaican starts his world championship campaign in newly-designed glitzy orange spikes named after the humble root vegetable.”
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“Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.”
– Henry David Thoreau
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Jump Rope Intervals
Did this one on my roof deck for a change of pace (and roasted in the hot sun). As always, attempted to go all out, sprint-in-place style throughout:
1 x 3 min
2 x 2 min
4 x 1 min
8 x 30 sec
Roasted 30 sec between rounds.
3 tags
Max Effort Bench Press
A few rounds of Cindy to get the blood pumping, then right to the bench:
Bench Press
5 x 205lb
5 x 225lb
5 x 245lb
3 x 255lb
3 x 275lb
3 x 285lb *FAIL*
I actually completed the three reps in the last set, but when I asked the spotter he said he helped a little on the last 2 reps. I still feel ok with this since I never bench heavy. Curious to see what my 1RM will be next week.
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“If it’s important, do it every day; if it’s not important,...”
– Dan Gable
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Kung Fu class
I got to the kwoon early today and drilled myself on Yu Ga Dai Pa before class. The class was small, so I worked on Ng Ying Kuen off to the side when I wasn’t helping out. Worked a little bit of the bench form afterwards, but headed home early (after only 2 hours).
One Legged Squat Tutorial & Progressions →
“I feel weighing down the modified single leg step-ups to be more comfortable. It gives all the benefits of a weighted pistol, but puts the back in a safer position and is safer if you have to bail out. Personally speaking, I don’t train weighted pistols at all and prefer the modified step-up for any heavy single leg work.”
My back sure didn’t feel so good the day...
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Kung Fu practice
With the fellas at the school. Ran through Tiet Sien Kuen to start it off and to recharge myself from the weight lifting. I felt great after that, so I worked on Yu Ga Dai Pa for the duration.
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Death By Pullups
With a continuously running clock do one pull-up the first minute, two pull-ups the second minute, three pull-ups the third minute…continuing as long as you are able.
My score: 15 full rounds + 11. Meh. This one really sneaks up on you - it’s easy peasy lemon squeezy until about the 10th round, then it gets really hard really fast (twss).
3 tags
Max Effort Pistols
Didn’t have too much time for warmup, so just went through some joint rotations and air squats before working the one legged squat (OLS) aka pistol:
Pistols
5 x 45lb
5 x 55lb
5 x 60lb
3 x 70lb
3 x 75lb (PR)
3 x 80lb *FAIL*
I’ve never attempted to go heavier than the 45lb plate with these before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. They really fatigue the quadriceps,...
Sound Strategy
Jim: So what's your strategy for this race?
Pam: Well I'm gonna start fast.
Jim: Mm-hmm.
Pam: Then I'm gonna run fast in the middle.
Jim: What?
Pam: Then I'm gonna end fast.
Jim: Why won't more people do that?
Pam: Cause they're just stupid.
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Quick Core Workout
To celebrate the return of my Gymboss, I did a timer-centric core quickie:
Front Plank
Left Side Plank
Right Side Plank
Started with a 60 second hold, then a 40 sec of each, followed by 20 sec of each. Rested 20 seconds between each hold. The turf is not so forgiving on the forearms after a few sweaty plank holds.
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GPP Circuit
Burpees x 30 sec (12)
Jumping Jacks x 30 sec
Mountain Climbers x 30 sec
Split Jumps x 30 sec
Grasshoppers x 30 sec
Repeat 6x, resting 30 sec between rounds.
Did this one on the turf field at Washington Park. The turf is lovely and forgiving for burpees and there weren’t even a million kids to get in my way.
Excuses
Vice Principal Thorne: It's not going too well is it?
Coach Finstock: Well, Christ, Thorne, look at the sneakers those guys are wearing. If our guys had sneakers like that there's no telling what they could do.
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Kung Fu class
Warmed up the first crew with the standard stuff and then some serious bridge training before going into forms. After they cleared out, reviewed Chun Choy Dai Dao a bit and then worked on the bench form for a while.
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Grimaldo's Mile 2009
Today Dave and I swam our third consecutive Grimaldo’s Mile with CIBBOWS - a one mile swim from Coney Island to Brighton Beach. I feel better about my performance every year, but every year my time seems to increase by about 5 minutes. This year’s official time was 40:41 and I managed to finish at the exact same time as Dave again (last year was 36:27). Of course, the time in any open water...
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“We must embrace pain and use it as fuel for our journey.”
– Kenji Miyazawa
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Be Like Zach
Trying to be like Zach and become a better biker. Become a better person.
3 min on stationary bike
30 pullups
30 pushups
2 min on stationary bike
20 pullups
20 pushups
1 min on stationary bike
10 pullups
10 pushups
30 sec on stationary bike
5 pullups
5 pushups
Untimed, since Frank is holding my timer hostage.
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Max Effort Deadlift
Warmed up with some pushups, pullups, and squats before testing my wrist with some light power cleans. They sure didn’t feel good in the rack position, but rather than waiting around forever while my body atrophies, I decided to change it up and pick new exercises that aren’t so wristy. Starting a new cycle with deadlifts today (which counts as a full body lift):
Deadlift
3 x...
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Old Stone House 10
After getting stuck at work all night, I headed out to the turf field behind the Old Stone House for a quick workout. Set this up like the Jailhouse 10, but I sprinted the width of the turf field (about 50m) between sets:
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Burpees
No gymboss, so this was untimed. Finished with 100 pushups (10 x 10). The good news is my wrist felt fine.
3 tags
Core Training
Standing Wheel Rollouts x 5
Abmat Situps x 10
Lying Hip Swings x 16
Supermans x 10
Repeat 4x
No time today so I squeezed in this quick home workout at night.