Richard Gibney's 365 Days of Fitness: Day 255

Day 255

Yesterday, I spent a lot of time working on opening up my hips with some soft tissue work and stretching. My hope was that my body would feel up for a good lower body workout. Last week I didn't do a lot of lower body push movements, so I decided to try getting into some nice deep squats. Nothing too heavy, but if I felt up to it, I wouldn't hesitate to load up the bar.

Today's Workout:

5 minutes of mobility work.

Exercise 1: Kettlebell Front Squat (used as a deep squat preparatory exercise)
2 sets / 10 reps / 60 sec rest (1 second pause in the bottom) - 14kg per side

Exercise 2: Back Squat
4 sets / 4 - 6 reps / 3 min rest (1 seconds pause in the bottom)
Set 1: 6 x 135 lbs
Set 2: 6 x 185 lbs
Set 3: 6 x 205 lbs
Set 4: 6 x 205 lbs

Exercise 3: Barbell Step-up
3 sets / 6 reps per side / 2 min rest
Set 1: 6 x 135 lbs
Set 2: 6 x 155 lbs
Set 3: 6 x 155 lbs

Superset
Exercise 4: Leg Press (Single Leg Eccentric)
3 sets / 5 reps per side / 60 seconds rest - 200 lbs all sets
Exercise 5: Prone Leg Curl
3 sets / 6 reps / 60 seconds rest - 135 lbs all sets

My body felt really good during the workout today. I think the regeneration and mobility work I did yesterday was very successful. I felt no pain during any of my exercises which I was really happy about. I had been kind of bummed lately. I felt like my body had taken a step backward with all of the little aches and pains but I felt really good about the quality of my squats today. I was able to get lower than I ever have and every rep felt really good and solid.

Earlier in the year I was squatting a lot more, but considering how I've been feeling lately, I think today was a success. I think next time I get under the bar for some squats I will feel pretty confident and able to load up the bar a lot more.

Richard Gibney's 365 Days of Fitness: Day 254

Day 254 I decided today that it was long over due for a regeneration day. I've been cutting corners lately with things like warm-ups and injury prevention so that I could get my workouts in and as a result my body has been a little grump with me. I've been reading up on some new ways to improve mobility and prevent injuries, so I took the opportunity today to try some of them out.

Today's Workout:

Myofascial Release:

Foam Roll: 30 - 60 seconds per technique - Upper Spine - Lats - Obliques - Glutes - Hip Flexors - IT Bands - Calves

Stretching:

Strength Band Distraction Stretches - Lat Stretch - External Rotation - Hip Flexor - Pigeon (Hip Rotators) - Adductors (Deep Squat)

Stability:

1. Side Lying Mini Band External Hip Rotation: 10 reps per side 2. Marching Glute Bridge: 10 reps per side 3. Deadbug: 10 reps per side 4. 1/2 Kneeling Downward Stability Chop: 10 reps per side 5. 1/2 Kneeling Upward Stability Lift: 10 reps per side 6. Kettlebell Arm Bar: 10 reps per side (24 kg) 7. Single Leg Squat: 10 reps per side

It certainly wasn't the most taxing of workouts, but I felt like it was very productive. When I got home I decided to quickly do a body weight circuit, just so I could feel like I got the blood pumping today.

Warrior Body Weight Circuit:

Air Squats x 25 In / Outs x 25 Judo Push-ups x 25 Sprinter Sit-up x 25 per side

100 reps x 2 sets (200 reps total)

Richard Gibney's 365 Days of Fitness: Day 253

Day 253 I had plans of taking on the world today. After having a longer sleep last night I felt up to getting a lot of stuff done. It's amazing how sleep makes everything better. I'm still running a bit of a sleep deficit but I certainly had a lot more energy today. I had a little bit of work planned and an assortment of errands to do that had been on the back burner for about 3 weeks on the agenda. The workout today was definitely going to be on the light side, so I wasn't too concerned about having to a lot a ton of time aside for it. I didn't feel up to doing any more weights or even some body weight circuits. The day was really nice so a quick run outside was likely the go to exercise form today.

Today's Workout:

20 minute Run (Medium to High Intensity)

Sticking to straight cardio today seemed like a good idea. My body agreed with it and it fit in pretty well amongst my things to do. The only problem is the sweating. I had to get ready to go for dinner at some friends after my run. I had plenty of time to shower and get dressed but the shower didn't seem to do much. I continued to sweat for about 10 minutes after getting out of the shower. At least I know my metabolism was fired up before sitting down for a meal.

Richard Gibney's 365 Days of Fitness: Day 252

Day 252 This week was pretty busy. For one reason or another the earliest I got home was 9:30 pm and the latest I woke up 5:30 am. Needless to say I'm a little tired tonight as I write this. My plan tonight is to get to bed earlier tonight and take advantage of a later start tomorrow.

My workout today followed the weeks trend of traditional body building based exercises and rep ranges. The aches and pains I've been experiencing lately seem to be resolving themselves. Backing off on the intensity did it's job of allowing me to continue to train without aggravating any injuries.

Today's Workout:

*Keiser Resistance involves air pressure, meaning that the load placed on the system is not the same as when moving a physical mass.

Exercise 1: 1/2 Kneeling Wide Keiser Pulldown 4 sets / 12 - 15 reps / 60 seconds rest (45lbs of Keiser Resistance)

Exercise 2: TRX Inverted Row 4 sets / 12 - 15 reps / 60 seconds rest (Holding the top contraction for 2 seconds)

Superset

Exercise 3: Straight Arm Rope Pulldown 3 sets / 12 - 15 reps / no rest (100lbs) Exercise 4: Rope Face Pull 3 sets / 12 - 15 reps / 60 seconds rest (85lbs)

Exercise 5: Db Bicep Curls 3 sets / 12 - 15 reps / 60 seconds rest (30lbs)

Exercise 6: Keiser Reverse Cable Curl 3 sets / 12 - 15 reps / 60 seconds rest (25lbs of Keiser Resistance)

This workout ended up being fairly satisfying. As I said early the injuries seem to be improving. I am however, a little annoyed that I have these injuries in the first place. I think the fact that my travel workouts involved push-ups, and a lot of push-ups may have placed a little too much stress on my shoulders. My workouts weren't particularly balanced while I was away, but I made due with what I had available. That being said, I continue to move forward and I'm confident that with some patience and a little more injury prevention I can get back to some more intense workouts.

Richard Gibney's 365 Days of Fitness: Day 251

Day 251 Today I had a pretty wide open afternoon with a lot of time to workout, but the business of fall at gym quickly put an end to that and filled up my afternoon with some unexpected training sessions. This is great for work but it suddenly made getting in the workout a little tricky. I had originally planned another upper body strength workout but instead opted to do a quick circuit of kettlebell exercises.

Today's Workout:

Kettlebell Circuit: 16 kilos

Kettlebell Swing x 30 reps Single Arm Kettlebell Clean x 10 (Right Side) Single Arm Kettlebell Front Squat x 10 (Right Side) Single Arm Kettlebell Clean x 10 (Left Side) Single Arm Kettlebell Front Squat x 10 (Left Side) Single Arm Kettlebell Snatch to Windmill x 8 (Right Side) Single Arm Kettlebell Snatch to Windmill x 8 (Left Side) Turkish Get-up x 5 (Right Side) Turkish Get-up x 5 (Left Side)

After my quick circuit with the Kettlebell I had to rush home to pick up Nicole and drive out to our last game of softball for this season. Although, softball may not be the most physically exhausting sport out there, I still find I gain a great deal of physical benefit from it. Running the bases and sprinting after balls, especially from the catches I fail to make is quite taxing. My legs the next day are usually aware that I put them to use.

We have to wait until next spring to get back to softball, but I hope to improve my skills in the interim. I plan on hitting the batting cages and maybe playing some catch now and then with Nicole. My batting average is pretty decent, but my catching average is pretty poor. Hopefully I can balance out my skills before next season.

Richard Gibney's 365 Days of Fitness: Day 250

Day 250 I felt a little better today than yesterday. Getting a little more sleep and more into my regular routine was probably helpful. I decided to do some pretty straight forward upper body weights. I've been keeping weights on the lighter side lately. My left shoulder is feeling better than it has been it's a little more Oscar the groutch than Elmo. I feel if I can manage not to overshoot things too much, I should be back to 100% pretty soon.

Today's Workout:

Exercise 1: Bench Press 4 sets / 10 - 12 reps / 90 seconds rest

Exercise 2: Keiser Romanian Deadlift 4 sets / 6 - 8 reps / 2 minutes rest

Exercise 3: 1/2 Kneeling Keiser Inclined Chest Press 3 sets / 10 - 12 reps / 60 seconds rest

Exercise 4: Prone Leg Curl 3 sets / 6 - 8 reps / 90 seconds rest

Exercise 5: Standing Cable Chest Fly 3 sets / 12 - 15 reps / 60 seconds rest

A couple hrs after this workout I went to the Talisman Rec Centre here in Calgary to play badminton for the Glencoe as part of the corporate challenge. I used to play a lot of badminton when I was younger. In fact it was pretty much my life. Now, I play maybe once a year. I really don't know why I don't play more often. I had some pretty big dreams of winning some national titles that didn't materialize and was a little disenchanted with it for awhile, but I really do miss it.

We did ok tonight. My teammates played hard and tried their best but we came up short against a better team in the second round of our team matches. I was definitely rusty, I can't expect too much with the amount I play but I still had fun. I've mentioned it before, the gym is great but I'd really like to get some exercise in that is both strenuous and recreational. Badminton is something that I am good enough at to get an incredible workout, so I think I'm going to make a goal of playing a lot more.

Richard Gibney's 365 Days of Fitness: Day #249

Day 249 I woke up today feeling pretty tired. the run last night although necessary made for a not so great sleep. That being said, I was looking forward to being back at the gym and getting back into the swing of things. I had to compromise a little bit of the intensity of my workouts while I was in New York, so I thought today would be a good day to do something really hard. I decided I would give Fran a try again. I've done it twice this year. The second time was much better than the first. I wasn't expecting to set any records today but I thought I would be able to post a decent time.

Today's Workout:

Barbell Thruster (Front Squat to Overhead Press) 95lbs

Supersetted with

Pull-ups

3 Rounds: Round 1: 21 reps each Round 2: 15 reps each Round 3: 9 reps each

I normally would have timed this workout, as you are supposed to do but as I started I realized I was just going to really suck. I had a lot of fun in New York but I think it definitely took it's toll. I had absolutely no jam at all today. I managed to finish all of my reps but it took me quite a while to catch my breath between rounds. Oh well, my friends don't get married all the time. My performance may have taken dip as a result of all the fun but it was worth it.

After attempting Fran, I tacked on a little functional core work with some rowing.

Kettlebell Suitcase Carry: 30 metres per side x 3 sets

Rowing Machine: 1000 metres for time (4:06)

Hopefully, I can get a better sleep tonight. I like to feel better about my workout tomorrow. The weather is supposed to be really nice, so I might try to get outside and enjoy the sun while it's still here. I've really enjoyed all the travelling the summer but it's nice to be home.

Richard Gibney's 365 Days of Fitness: Day 244

Day 244 I managed to fit in a lot of exercise today. I got back into the gym for lifting. My left arm has been bothering a little bit. The bicep injury from last week is pretty gone but my shoulder is a little stiff and sore during certain movements. I was determined to move some weight but didn't want to injure anything so I my plan was to keep the weights on the light side and if necessary abandon an exercise if it didn't feel quite right.

Today's Workout:

Part 1: Lift Session

Exercise 1: Hang Snatch 3 sets / 6 reps / 2 min rest Set 1: 100 lbs x 6 Set 2: 100 lbs x 6 Set 3: 100 lbs x 6

Exercise 2: Squat Snatch 2 sets / 4 reps / 2 min rest Set 1: 115 lbs x 4 Set 2: 115 lbs x 4

Exercise 3: Bench Press 4 sets / 10 - 12 reps / 90 sec rest Set 1: 135 lbs x 12 Set 2: 155 lbs x 12 Set 3: 185 lbs x 10 Set 4: 185 lbs x 10

Exercise 4: Front Squat 4 sets / 6 - 8 reps / 90 sec rest Set 1: 135 lbs x 8 Set 2: 135 lbs x 8 Set 4: 135 lbs x 8

I didn't move any earth shattering weights but it was satisfying to get under the bar. As I mentioned earlier my left arm has been a little cranky but I wanted to keep using it. I was confident that if I backed off a bit that I could work through it. Thankfully it seemed to hold up pretty well today. That being said I think I'll still get in for some active release as soon as I can get an appointment.

I was feeling pretty energetic today, so later a couple hrs after lifting weights I joined in with my group for what turned out to be a really thorough thrashing.

Part 2: Conditioning Session

Section 1: Sub Max Sprints 40 metres x 10 @ 70% (Jog back, 30 sec rest)

Section 2: Med Balls Exercise 1: Squat Chest Pass x 30 reps Exercise 2: Vertical Toss 5 reps x 3 sets (30 seconds rest) Exercise 3: Side Med Ball Toss 20 reps per side

Section 3: Circuit 500 metre Sprint (100 metre hill sprint at the end) x 4 After Set 1: Burpees x 25 After Set 2: Lunges x 50 After Set 3: Push-ups x 75 After Set 4: Squats x 100

This was our last workout of the summer session. It was a hard one and I'm happy to say that a lot my group kicked my butt. I did well during the exercises but they crushed me during the running.

Tomorrow Nicole and I are going to New York for our friend's Ryan and Tanya's wedding. It will be a blast I'm sure but as usual the travelling presents a challenge for getting in the workout. Luckily our hotel has a gym which will be really handy. I don't see most of the days being a problem but tomorrow will be a little tricky. Our flight gets in around 5 pm, then we have to be at a party at 7. If we can get our bags and to our hotel by 5:45 I think we'll be lucky. This won't leave me a lot of time to get in a workout, so we'll see what happens. We do have a 2 hr layover in Montreal airport. I may have to come up with an airport workout.

Richard Gibney's 365 Days of Fitness: Day 243

Day 243 Today's workout continued my recent trend of getting out of the gym and getting my exercise with some less structured exercise and I have to say I'm really enjoying it. Tonight, I joined my friend Mike for some squash. I used to play a lot of racquet sports, especially badminton, which miss it quite a bit. I don't really have an excuse for not playing anymore other than not finding the time. Hopefully this trend of playing sports for exercise continues.

Today's Workout:

60 minutes of Squash

My level of squash is not as high as my badminton, but I'm good enough to play some decent rallies. Mike and I definitely managed to get a lot of squash in in 60 minutes. I asked Mike at intervals if he wanted to grab some water but he was determined to keep things going with the squash. I had a lot of fun. We got our legs moving and our heart rates up. The nice thing about playing a game like squash is that you can get a really great cardiovascular workout with some variety of movement instead of the continuous monotony that sometimes accompanies running or cycling. Mike says his plan is to play Squash every Tuesday. I don't know if I can make it every week but I can see myself joining quite a bit in the future.

Richard Gibney's 365 Days of Fitness: Day 242

Day 242 It was a beautiful weekend. Like yesterday and the day before my plan today was to take advantage of the fantastic weather but unlike the other days I did actually head into the gym for a little bit of work with the weights.

For my workout today, I decided to do a fairly light full body workout. My bicep has been feeling a lot better, but some other parts of my body have been a little cranky. Nothing really concerning but I felt it would be a good idea to back off a little bit today.

Today's Workout

Superset 1

Exercise 1: Chin-ups 4 sets / 12 reps / no rest

Exercise 2: Kettlebell Front Squat 4 sets / 12 reps / 60 seconds rest

Superset 2

Exercise 3: Db Bench Press 3 sets / 15 reps / no rest

Exercise 4: Single Leg Romanian Deadlift 3 sets / 8 reps per side / 60 seconds rest

Superset 3

Exercise 5: Single Arm Cable Row 3 sets / 15 reps per side / no rest

Exercise 6: Leg Blaster Step-up 3 sets / 50 reps per leg / 60 seconds rest

The strength work was decently satisfying. I kept the pace pretty quick, so I felt like I working pretty hard. Afterward, I joined my client David out at the Glencoe golf course. Last week after mentioning to David about my abysmal golf performance at the stag last weekend, he was nice enough to offer to help with my game.

I met David at the driving range, where we spent a couple hrs working on my game. It was really nice to get some actual instruction. David gave me some coaching for about 45 minutes until his wife Laurie joined us at which point I was able to get some coaching from Darryl, one of the Glencoe's golf professionals.

After the golf lesson, David, Laurie and I played nine holes. I didn't feel like I hit the ball that well during my lesson but I think it definitely played better during actual golf.round. It wasn't beautiful, but it was a big improvement from last time I played.

The afternoon:

2 hours of hitting golf balls, then 9 holes with my client David.

Richard Gibney's 365 Days of Fitness: Days 240 and 241

Day 240 The forecast for this weekend was for some amazing weather, and seeing as we are now officially in September we're not likely to have too many more weekends like this one. With that in mind I decided to make the most of it and do all of my exercising outside.

I had a few options. I had heard going for a bike ride around the Calgary reservoir was a lot of fun. I also got an invite to play some tennis with some friends and potentially hit some golf balls as well. I thought about doing them all but in the end I decided on playing tennis. I had been watching a lot of the U.S. Open on T.V and felt the each to hit some tennis balls.

The tennis was a lot of fun. It certainly wasn't U.S. Open quality and our rallies weren't very long, but ran around a lot for a good hour in close to 30 degree temperatures. The next day my legs and forearms were squawking a bit.

After playing some terrible golf last weekend at my friends Stag I've been determined to improve my golf game, so after tennis I called up another buddy of mine that's a keen golfer to go hit some balls. My game is getting better. I have no idea if what I'm doing is completely wrong, but the contact and direction of the ball is definitely improving. I normally wouldn't consider hitting balls a workout but I went through my bucket pretty quickly and tacked on at the end of an hr of tennis made it more tiring than usual.

Today's Workout:

1 hour of Tennis 30 minutes of hitting Golf Balls

Day 241:

Today I got around to doing that bike ride around the reservoir. It was another beautiful day and I couldn't resist getting out for another day in the sun. It might be somewhat ill advised for my freckly Irish skin but at least I'm getting in my last few big doses of vitamin D before the winter comes.

The bike ride was really enjoyable. I had to start off with a big hill right off the bat as I rode up 14th st from place which got the legs and the lungs going. I thought it would be just a leisurely ride but I got pretty into it and ended up really pushing myself. really enjoyed Like other things I've never done, I had no way to gauge if I was fast or not. All I know was that it was hard. I can definitely see myself doing it again. It was a really nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon. I got to see a really beautiful part of Calgary that I had never seen before.

Bike Ride around Calgary Reservoir from home and back (Approx. 90 minutes)

Richard Gibney's 365 Days of Fitness: Day 239

Day 239 The weeks workouts went relatively well. I was incredibly tired after my weekend with the boys at my friends stag, but I still feel I was able to salvage enough energy to put some decent work in with my workouts. Yesterday's run wasn't anything epic but the circuit with my group on Wednesday was satisfyingly torturous.

I got back to some weights today. Earlier in the week I decided to avoid exercises that involved flexing the elbow because my bicep was hurting. It felt a little bit better today so I felt up to testing the bicep a little bit more.

Today's Workout:

Exercise 1: Landmine Clean and Press 4 sets / 6 reps per side / 2 min rest (35lbs + Bar)

Tri-Set

Exercise 2: Chin-up 4 sets / 10 reps / no rest

Exercise 3: Landmine Twist 4 sets / 20 reps (10 per side) / no rest

Exercise 4: Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat 4 sets / 8 reps per side / 90 seconds rest

The bicep hurt a little bit, especially during the chin-ups but I don't think it will be a cause for concern for too much longer. Overall, things felt really good. I wanted to do a few more exercises but got caught up talking to a client.

I haven't had a weekend at home for about a month, so I'm looking forward to bumming around the house this weekend. I'm not complaining, I love traveling but there really is no place like home.

Richard Gibney's 365 Days of Fitness: Day 238

Day 238 I thought I had a ton of time to get a workout in today. My afternoon was pretty much wide open. All I had scheduled before having Thursday night softball at 6:30 was a visit to my client Shelagh's house. The plan was to take a quick look at a space in her basement so that I could design a home gym for her and her husband. She lived a lot further away than I had anticipated and traffic coming back into the city was quite busy due to construction, so it took much longer to get back home that I thought it would. When I got back home it was about 5:20. Softball was pretty far away, meaning Nicole and I would have to leave the house at 6:00 at the latest to make it on time. In the end I decided I had just enough time to sneak a quick hard run.

Today's Workout:

15 minute Run followed a game of Softball

I was lucky I kept the run as short as I did. About 2 minutes before I got home it started to rain and as I walked in the door it started to pour with thunder and lightning. We didn't have a great game of Softball, but I did end up doing a lot of sprinting, which would normally be a good them except that it was after balls that I had failed to catch. Tomorrow I'll likely get back to some lifting. My bicep is feeling better, so we'll see if it's ready to be testing.

Richard Gibney's 365 Days of Fitness: Day 237

Day 237 I decided to join my conditioning group for tonight's workout. It had been awhile since I had joined in for a good lung burning circuit, so I was both eager and a little nervous to jump in.

With a good chunk of my kids having gone back to University, my group has gotten a little smaller. It was fun to have a really big group but from a programming standpoint having fewers numbers made things a little easier. I put together a circuit against the clock that allowed for all of us to use the same type of equipment at once. Having the goal of finishing as quick as possible brought in an element of competition that our previous circuits haven't had.

Today's Workout:

Metabolic Circuit: Complete 3 Round of the following circuit as fast as possible while back tracking through the exercise order.

Round 1                                          Round 2                                 Round 3 TRX Inverted Row x 20                Burpees x 15                          TRX Inverted Row x 10 Kettlebell Squat to Press x 20  Kettlebell Lunges x 8 per leg  Kettlebell Squat to Press x 10 Kettlebell Lunges x 10 per leg  Kettlebell Squat to Press x 15 Kettlebell Lunges x 5 per leg Burpees x 20                           TRX Inverted Row x 15           Burpees x 10

The circuit was really fun and a lot of fun. I finished in about 7:35. I've never done it before, so I have no reference point as to whether or not that's good or not. I guess I'll have to try it again.

Treadmill Partner Sprints

Partners switch every 10th of a mile until is completed. Interval 1: 9.5 mph Interval 2: 10.5 mph Interval 3: 11 mph Interval 4: 11.5 mph interval 5: 12 mph

TRX Core Series

• Superman x 20
• Hip Drop Oblique Crunch x 12 per side
• Side to Side Prone Knee Tuck (Feet in loops) x 8 per side

I had a lot of fun with this workout. We worked really hard in a pretty short period of time. I'm was so impressed with the level of fitness of my group. Everyone was performing at a really high level. It made me really proud and excited to see everyone improve so much.

Richard Gibney's 365 Days of Fitness: Day 236

Day 236 I felt much better today. It took longer than I'd hoped but I woke up this morning without the headache that lingered all day yesterday. I could have still used a little more sleep though. As I mentioned yesterday, my hope is to get some good workouts this week and get back on track. I feel like my discipline has slipped a bit, so I have to buckle down.

I seem to have strained my left bicep a bit. I can't really recall a particular moment where the injury occurred. I probably did too many pull-ups last week too close together. While travelling I wasn't really able to do any chin-ups, so I may have gotten a little carried away with them once I got back. I don't think it's anything serious but I felt it necessary to lay off any exercises that involved flexing the elbow to give the bicep a break.

Today's Workout

Exercise 1: Barbell Bench Press 5 sets / 10 - 12 reps / 60 seconds rest Set 1: 135 lbs x 12 Set 2: 165 lbs x 12 Set 3: 165 lbs x 12 Set 4: 165 lbs x 12 Set 5: 165 lbs x 12

Superset 1

Exercise 2: Barbell Deadlift 5 sets / 6 - 8 reps / 90 sec rest Set 1: 135 lbs x 10 (Romanian Style) Set 2: 135 lbs x 10 (Romanian Style) Set 3: 205 lbs x 8 Set 4: 205 lbs x 8 Set 5: 205 lbs x 8

Exercise 3: Dumbbell Shoulder Press 3 sets / 10 - 12 reps / 60 sec rest Set 1: 30 lbs x 12 Set 2: 40 lbs x 12 Set 3: 45 lbs x 12

Exercise 4: Dumbbell Complex 3 sets / 12 reps per exercise / 60 seconds rest (17.5 lbs for every exercise)

• Forward Db Raise
• Side Db Raise
• Reverse Db Fly

The bicep bothered me a bit during workout but not so much that I had to quit. I originally wanted to go a bit heavier, but I backed off a bit just to be safe. Tomorrow, I have a session with my conditioning group. I didn't join in with them on Monday but I think tomorrow I'll take part.

Richard Gibney's 365 Days of Fitness: Day 235

Day 235 Well it appears that being in better shape does not help with hangovers. I've had bad hangovers in the past, but I can't remember the last time one lasted 2 days. I had a great time a the stag but my body and my brain have not been happy.

I've been taking really good care of myself. My body can tolerate a few things better than I could have last year, but alcohol it would seem is not one of them. I'm not crushed by this fact. I like a beer or a glass of wine every now and then but I think my days of shots will be far and few between in the future.

I felt better as the day wore on and by the late afternoon I was actually feeling pretty close to normal. I wasn't likely going to set any PBs in the gym but I did feel up to getting a decent sweat going. For my workout today, I decided to throw together something a little more heart rate oriented. I thought about some weights but I was surprisingly sore from my workout at the cabin and thought maybe an extra day would be a good idea before lifting again.

Today's Workout:

Exercise 1: Rowing Machine 2000 metres (7:55)

Exercise 2: Kettlebell Swing 3 sets / 50 reps / 45 seconds rest

Exercise 3: TRX Atomic Push-up 3 sets / 15 reps / 45 seconds rest

Exercise 4: Versa Climber 3 sets / 100 feet (60 seconds per set) / 60 seconds rest

Well exercise is unfailing in it's ability to make me feel better. I always feel like a new person after a workout. My plan is to push pretty hard this week. Even though the stag festivities may have knocked me on my butt, I was feeling pretty good about my workouts since being back from Europe and I want to gain back some momentum.

Richard Gibney's 365 Days of Fitness: Day 232

Day 232 My friend Steve Smith, his son Rocky and I were a playground workout team today. I was originally planning on a quick lift in the gym today, but Steve was adamant that we take advantage of the nice weather and work up a sweat outside.

I gathered up some high resistance tubing and a strength band and joined Steve and Rocky at the playground attached the school up the hill from the Glencoe. Steve and I made our way through a series of chin-up variations, and tubing exercises, while Rocky did some jumping, some spinning around, growling like the hulk and multiple sets of climbing a ladder then going down the slide. His work ethic is pretty impressive for a 3 year old.

Today's Workout:

Playground Workout With Steve and Rocky Smith

Exercise 1: Burpees x 50

Exercise 2: Shoulder Width Pull-up x 10

Exercise 3: Narrow Side to Side Neutral Grip Chin-up x 10 (5 per side)

Exercise 4: Wide Grip Pull-up x 10

Exercise 5: Standard Chin-up x 10

Exercise 6: Strength Band Resisted Push-up x 50

Exercise 7: Downward Tubing Chop (Purple) x 50 per side

Well as I mentioned I was originally hoping to workout in the gym but I'm glad Steve convinced me to workout outside. It was a beautiful day. We worked really hard and I always up for spending time with 3 year olds, especially ones that love the Incredible Hulk.

Richard Gibney's 365 Days of Fitness

Day 231 Well there's been bit a of gap in the blog entries. While on vacation I found it much easier to just make facebook posts to log my workouts. So I did manage to keep the streak going. I will try to consolidate the missed blog posts over the next little while. Don't want to have big hole in my posts when I look back at the end of the year.

I've been enjoying getting back into the weights this week. I'm not trying to move any mountains but working through some big productive movements feels very productive. I hope to get the loads a little heavier over the next couple weeks.

Today's Workout:

Exercise 1: Barbell Overhead Squat / 2 min rest

Set 1: 45 lbs x 10 Set 2: 100 lbs x 10 Set 3: 100 lbs x 10 Set 4: 100 lbs x 10

Exercise 2: Deadlift / 2 min rest

Set 1: 135 lbs x 10 Set 2: 185 lbs x 10 Set 3: 185 lbs x 10 Set 4: 185 lbs x 10 Set 5: 185 lbs x 10

Exercise 3: Prone Leg Curl 4 sets / 10 reps / 90 sec rest (120 lbs)

I kept the strength work relatively short today as I wanted to leave some juice in the tank for joining my conditioning group later on. I hadn't seen them for a couple weeks so I was looking forward to working out with them.

Conditioning Group Fun Run:

Approx. 5 - 6 km

• Glencoe Stairs
• 20 burpees
• 3 min running
• 50 push-ups
• 3 min running
• 100 metre hill sprints / 10 minutes as many sets as possible (5)
• Run to top of hill (200 m)
• Partner Wheel Barrow Walk (50 steps) - Sprint back
• 100 Walking Lunges
• Run 10 minutes
• 2 Tennis court Suicide Sprint
• 15 minute run
• Core Series: V-Sits x 20 / Rotating Side Plank x 10 ea / Front Plank Body Saw x 10 / Ab Bicycle x 50 / Hanging Knee Raise x 15

I really miss running at sea level. My lungs were burning after the first couple minutes of our run and I was coughing for a good hour after we finished. However, it was a lot of fun to get back with my group again. A few of them have to head back to University next week, so I was happy to get in one more session before the left.

Richard Gibney's 365 Days of Fitness: Day 212

Day 212 For my workout today I tried something called the century workout. It's quite similar to the German Volume training workout except instead of doing 10 sets of 10 reps you do 100 reps total in as few sets as possible. One stipulation though, is that you can only do a maximum of 20 reps per set. If you can do 20 reps for 5 sets, you have to increase the load by 5% the next time you do the workout.

The protocol typically calls for large compound movements like squats, bench presses, and deadlifts, with those movements making up all of or most of the workout. I had already beat myself up with some heavy compound lifts earlier in the week, so I stuck with tricep dips, bicep curls, and shoulder raises. I could have done deadlifts, but they've been a bit risky for my lower back, and I didn't want to start my vacation tomorrow with an injury.

Today's Workout:

Superset:

2:30 pm Exercise 1: Tricep Dips: 5 sets / 20 reps / no rest (Body Weight) Exercise 2: Dumbbell Bicep Curl: 5 sets / 20 reps / 60 seconds rest (35lbs)

6:00 pm Softball - Wasn't super taxing but I did sprint around quite a bit.

8:00 pm Exercise 3: Dumbbell Lateral Shoulder Raise: 3 sets / 20 reps / 90 sec rest (35lbs) - It got a little too late for 5 sets.

11:00 pm 20 minutes of deep stretching

I ended up spreading the exercises over the course of a few hours again. I wanted to do more work in one session but I had to get some errands and some packing done before softball. Tomorrow, Nicole and I both have to work, so we had to get most of our various tasks done today.

I think tomorrow will likely be a cardio / flexibility focused day. Other than the circuit last night, I haven't done anything that has really got me sweating. My cold kind of put my lungs on the shelf for a couple days. I think getting a good sweat from some intervals would be pretty satisfying before sitting 8 hrs on a plane. I'm also feeling pretty tight, so a good deep stretch, especially in my hips will be very helpful.

Richard Gibney's 365 Days of Fitness: Day 211

Day 211 My plan today was once again to join my conditioning group for another circuit training workout. However, like last week we had an uneven number so I had to sit out to make space. One of my stations required a partner, so an even number was necessary. It was looking like I would have to come up with something else to do after work, but just as we were about to start our 3rd and final round of the circuit, I had another participant show up. Her and I were able to partner up, so I added another 2 person station.

Today's Workout:

Conditioning Circuit: 60 seconds per exercise

1. Spin Bike (Standing / Gear 24)
2. Kettlebell Front Squat to Overhead Press (12 kg Kettlebell x 2)
3. Med Ball Jumping Jack (4kg)
4. Band Resisted Sprinting
5. Fit Ball Alphabet Plank
6. Battle Ropes
7. Skater Bounds
8. Push-ups
9. Chin-ups
10. Fit Ball Crunch
11. Split Jumps
12. Squat Jumps
13. Bench Step-up / Knee Drives 30 second per side

I only managed one round of the circuit, but it was still quite difficult. I think I maybe should have re-thought the split jump, squat jump, step-up sequence. That much jumping and quad heavy work could maybe have been spread out a little better. However, I was really happy that I was able to get a workout in with the group. I won't see them for a couple weeks, so it was nice to join in and have fun with them. We also did the following yoga inspired core workout after the circuit. I don't really know any yoga names, just a few exercises that I find really challenging.

Narrow Squat Arms Overhead - 20 sec Single Leg Balance / Straight Leg in Front - 20 sec Single Leg Squat - 10 reps Stationary Lunge / Chest on Thigh / Arms Extended - 20 sec Push-up Lower - 20 sec

Repeat the same sequence on the other side

Only one more day until I'm on vacation. Tomorrow's workout will be last day of heavy stuff before I go away. I don't want to be too sore for my flight, but I do want to get in some good strength work before I go away and spend a couple weeks of what will likely be mostly cardio and body weight based exercise.