Richard Gibney's 365 Days of Fitness: Day 296

Day 296 Without fail, Canadians celebrating Halloween corresponded with snow falling on the ground. Nicole and I were lucky last night, as we just missed getting stuck in a big dump of snow while we walked home from the bar in our costumes. When we woke up this morning our cars were covered in snow and all plans of having a super productive Sunday seemed less attractive.

I made my way around town briefly to pick up groceries and odds and ends but promptly came home and spent the rest of the day at home. The weather really wasn't that bad. I guess I'm just a bit soft right now. In a few months today will seem like a balmy spring day but for today I used the weather as excuse to be lazy bum.

Not wanting to leave the house, I had to come up with a way to get my workout done at home. I thought about the standard push-ups and squats workout but I did that to death in the summer when I was traveling, so I came up with something else. I went on itunes and looked for a Yoga video to download. I found Rodney Yee's Yoga Conditioning for Athletes.

Today's Workout:

45 minutes of Yoga (Rodney Yee's Yoga Conditioning For Athletes)

I had never done Yoga on my own before. I've been to enough classes to know a few poses but I haven't felt I had enough understanding to put together my own yoga session. This Yoga Conditioning video actually worked quite well. I did miss the personal touch of actually having an instructor with me but overall I felt like I got an authentic yoga experience. I had been sitting on the couch all day, so getting things moving and loosened up felt really good. I have the video on my computer now, to refer to whenever I want, so I might actually start making yoga a more regular experience.

Richard Gibney's 365 Days of Fitness: Day 295

Day 295 As I mentioned yesterday, today was a very unusually busy work day for a Saturday. Nicole had an exam today, so I got myself out of her way and booked a bunch of work. This was good for the pocket book but it meant getting in a workout would be a little less convenient. I had clients booked all day from 8 - 4, then after work I had about an hour to pick up Halloween costumes and get ready to head out for some Halloween fun.

I managed to get the pieces for our Minion costumes together in pretty good time. This left me about 20 minutes to get in a workout. I decided to go for a quick run. I thought about having some fun and going for a run in my costume, but I didn't feel like being in a sweaty unitard all night.

Today's Workout

2 km Run (Medium Pace)

It turns out the all the jumping I had done this week past week, had caught up to me. About 5 minutes into my run the bottom of my right food started to really hurt. I was able to keep running by adjusting my running technique. I usually run more towards my forefoot instead of striking heel first. This reduces ground contact time with lessens the impact on the knees and hips but it puts a lot more stress on the achilles tendons and muscles of the lower leg. I reduced the stress on my sore feet by reverting to heel striking. It felt really unnatural but it allowed me to finish my run.

In the end I was able to get in my workout and into my Minion costume in time for some Halloween fun with some great friends.

Richard Gibney's 365 Days of Fitness: Day 294

Day 294 Yesterday, I did a pretty light all around strength workout. I kept the legs to a minimum because I felt they could use a break and also because I wanted to work them pretty hard today. I was thinking about doing sprints after work but I changed my mind and opted for some plyos and a little bit of Olympic lifting instead. It wouldn't be quite the same as sprinting but I would still be taking advantage of my fresh legs.

Today's Workout:

Exercise 1: 40 inch Box Jump 4 sets / 5 reps / 60 seconds rest

Exercise 2: Explosive Bench Step-up 3 sets / 10 reps per side / 60 seconds rest

Exercise 3: Clean and Jerk 5 sets / 4 reps / 2 min rest

Tabata:

Double Unders 20 sec on / 10 sec off x 8 Intervals

I've always enjoyed doing explosive exercises. You just feel like your doing something really worthwhile, something that takes the body to an extreme. I have a feeling my calves are going to be pretty sore. I haven't done this much jumping in awhile. I did a bunch of doubles earlier this week, so the contacts that my legs have sustained have added up quite a bit.

Tomorrow, is an usually busy day of work for a Saturday. My workout will likely be pretty dialed back and brief. After work I have to pick up some bits and pieces for Halloween costumes before heading up for a party with our softball team. So somewhere between getting home from the costume shop and heading out to the party I'll have to get a workout in.

Richard Gibney's 365 Days of Fitness: Day 293

Day 293 I mentioned yesterday that I don't typically sleep well, but it's amazing how a couple of brownies can really mess things up. I abstained from any chocolatey goodness last night and managed to get significantly more sleep than the night before. I woke up today feeling like a new man. I enjoyed my work a lot more and I just generally felt better about everything. Sleep is magic.

For my workout today, I decided just to plug away at some various left over strength exercises I felt I hadn't attended to throughout the week yet. The last couple weeks I've been working around little bits of pain and soreness. Today, I didn't feel any pain anywhere, so I was looking forward to a workout without working around any injuries.

Today's Workout

Superset 1

A1: Close Grip Bench Press: 3 sets / 10-12 reps / no rest A2. Seated Cable Row (Underhand Grip): 3 sets / 10-12 reps / 60 sec rest

Superset 2

A1. Overhead Tricep Cable Press: 3 sets / 10-12 reps / no rest B2. Cambered Bar Bicep Curl: 3 sets / 10-12 reps / 60 sec rest

Superset 3

C1. Lateral Db Raise: 3 sets / 12 - 15 reps / no rest C2. Low Pulley Split Squat: 3 sets / 10 - 12 reps per side / 60 sec rest

Tri-Set 1

D1. Bubka Hanging Leg Raise: 3 sets / 10 reps / no rest D2. Lalanne Push-up: 3 sets / 10 reps / no rest D3. Bent-Over Reverse Db Fly: 3 sets / 12 - 15 reps / 60 sec rest

Superset 4

E1. Inverted Kettlebell Hold: 3 sets / 20 sec / no rest E2. Leg Press Calf Raise: 3 sets / 12-15 reps / no rest

This workout was relatively light, but that didn't take away from the fact that I was able to go from beginning to end without feeling any pain. It was mostly upper body, save for a couple lower body auxiliary exercises and some core. I even threw in some calf raises at the end, something I don't think I've done all year

I haven't been getting a great deal of cardiovascular work in lately, so I think tomorrow I'll have to work on that. The weather has been really nice this week, so if the trend continues tomorrow, I think I'll try go for a good hard run.

Richard Gibney's 365 Days of Fitness: Day 292

Day 292 I wasn't sure how today's workout was going to go. Last night was one of the worst sleeps I've had all year. I don't typically sleep too well in general but last night was particularly bad. I went to a wine and cheese fundraiser for a friend last night. I had a glass of wine and a couple brownies. I don't typically drink during the week and certainly don't have brownies late a night but I was weak and gave into temptation. It was probably 5:00 am by the time I finally fell asleep. I usually get out of bed at 5:30. Luckily I didn't start until 9 instead of my usual 7 today. However, that didn't really seem to matter. When I finally woke up at 8, I felt completely useless, so useless that I actually called my 9 o'clock client and cancelled. I felt bad for cancelling but I would have felt worse if she had paid for what would have been sub par service.

I eventually got out of bed around 9, pulled myself together and made my way to work for my 10. I managed to do a decent job with my first couple clients then luckily was able to take advantage of a couple hour break. As the day went on I felt a lot better. My 3:00 client was nice enough to allow me be their workout partner. She actually really enjoys Olympic lifting a lot, so it was fun to work out with her today.

Today's Workout:

Olympic Lifting: Snatch Technique Focus

Set 1: Snatch Pull x 5 Set 2: Snatch Pull x 5 Set 3: Snatch (Hang) x 5 Set 4: Snatch (Hang) x 5 Set 5: Squat Snatch x 5 Set 6: Squat Snatch x 5 Set 7: Squat Snatch x 5

Superset:

Exercise 1: Overhead Squat: 4 sets / 10 reps / no rest Exercise 2: Archer Pull-ups: 4 sets / 5 reps per side / 60 seconds rest

500 metre Row PR Attempt: Crashed out at 300 m

I was happy to find enough energy to workout. The lifting went pretty well. I was focusing mostly on technique, so I didn't go very heavy, but I still got a lot of work in. I tried to go for another 500 metre PB today, but I absolutely died around 300 metres. I just completely hit the wall. I felt a little defeated but I'll try again.

Later in the evening I had my conditioning group. I didn't join in with the bulk of the workout but I felt like I needed to redeem myself for crashing out in the rowing earlier, so I joined in for the last part of the workout.

"Death By Burpees"

Each minute do the prescribed number of burpees. The rest time is whatever time is left of the 1 minute interval.

Minute 1 / 1 burpee Minute 2 / 2 burpees Minute 3 / 3 burpees Minute 4 / 4 burpees etc

We were only going to do 10 intervals, so I decided to use 45 second intervals instead of 1 minute. It started off pretty easy, but as we moved into the later intervals the rest period started becoming insufficient. By the time we finished the last interval, we were pretty cooked.

Well I'm hoping for a better night's sleep tonight. I've had no wine or brownies, so at least I'm off to a better start.

Richard Gibney's 365 Days of Fitness: Day 291

Day 291 Once again today, I had to change my plans. I thought I had a big window this afternoon from 1 until 4 to do my workout and get some lunch but I was mistaken. The two clients normally at 1 and at 2 I thought were away were actually in town, meaning that lunch would have to wait until at least 3. Last week I ran into a similar situation, where my lunch and workout had to be push into a small window later than anticipated. On that occasion I made the mistake of woofing down my lunch prior to my workout. This left me with an upset stomach and not really being able to perform too well during my workout. Today I decided to skip out on the upset stomach and do my workout before my lunch.

Today's Workout:

30 minutes of Cardio: 15 minutes of Stationary Bike (Level 12 / 85 - 90 rpm) 15 minutes of Skipping (Singles - Random Footwork patterns)

I started on the bike, thinking that I would do some intervals and get a good sweat going but physically and mentally, I just didn't have it. I was so hungry and sitting on the bike seemed like it was taking forever. After 15 minutes I hopped off and grabbed a skipping rope. I find the rhythm of skipping somewhat meditative and easier to get into than sitting on a machine.

It may have only been half an hour and by no means a very dynamic workout but it was enough to earn a sweat and my lunch. A few of my workouts lately have left me pretty sore and ache, so something like today's session was probably good for me anyway. Tomorrow, should be more interesting. Unless something really strange happens, I should adequate time for both a workout and all of my meals.

Richard Gibney's 365 Days of Fitness: Day 290

Day 290 For my workout today I decided to do a full body strength workout. I was originally thinking about spending most of the session doing some heavy front squats but my lower back and hip flexors were a little stiff from the burpees yesterday, so I decided to pass on the heavy stuff. I did however, get back to the bench press. My shoulders having been feeling a lot better since seeing Helena last week so I thought I'd test them out a bit.

I also decided today would be a good day to beef up my supplement protocol. As I push toward the end of the year I'm not taking any chances, so I want to give myself the best chance possible of finishing strong. Up to this point, I haven't much more than protein powder, vitamin C, and fish oils. Today I added the following items.

Morning: Zyflammend (Herbal Anti-Inflammatory)

Pre-Workout: Beta-Alanine for work capacity + lactic acid buffering Biosteel High Performance Sports Drink (B Vitamins, Branch Chain Amino Acids, Electrolytes) for energy, recovery, and hydration

Post-Workout:Glutamine for recovery Creatine Monohydrate to replace used stores from lifting Alpha Lipoic Acid for anti-oxidant support and to assist in loading the creatine

Today's Workout:

Superset 1:

Exercise 1: Barbell Bench Press - 185lbs all sets 4 sets / 6 - 8 reps / 90 seconds rest

Exercise 2: Prone Leg Curl - 150 lbs 4 sets / 4 - 6 reps / * 5 second negative / 90 seconds rest

Superset 2:

Exercise 3: Kettlebell Walking Lunge - 18kg per side 4 sets / 10 per side / no rest

Exercise 4: Landmine Chest Press - Bar + 45lbs 4 sets / 10 per side / no rest

Exercise 5: Renegade Row (Plank Db Row) - 45lbs per side 4 sets / 10 per side / 2 min rest

It's funny how supplements work. The placebo effect is quite powerful. I was under no delusion that these supplements were going to make me superman, but the fact that I had taken them made me want to get the most out of my workout. After doing the bench, which went pretty well, I had a tough time deciding what to do. My lower back had loosened up, so I thought about doing the front squats after all but in the end I decided to save them for another day. I ended up throwing together a pretty tough tri-set. The weights weren't overly heavy but the 3 exercises sequenced together was very difficult.

t's funny how supplements work. The placebo effect is quite powerful. I was under no delusion that these supplements were going to make me superman, but the fact that I had taken them made me want to get the most out of my workout. I was particularly organized today, so I spent a little too much time figuring out what I wanted to do, but when I did get down to work I felt really focused and keen to work hard. In the end I had a very satisfying workout. Did the supplements help? I think they did. Was the effect partly placebo? Probably but who cares all that matters is that I got what I wanted, which was a good workout.

Richard Gibney's 365 Days of Fitness: Day 289

Day 289 Today was one of those days where physically I was ripe for a really hard workout. I slept in until 9:30 this morning, had a big breakfast, a great lunch, and some downtime on the couch. So when I got to the gym I was thinking lets make this one count. I didn't want to do a big lift. I wanted to get under the bar for some heavy squats tomorrow, so today would be tough from a more energy system / metabolic standpoint.

Today's Workout:

After 20 minutes of foam rolling and mobility work.

Part One:

500 m Row PR (Personal Record) 1:36 - My goal is get under 1:30

Part Two:

Double Unders (Skipping): 50 Burpees: 10 For 5 rounds - averaging about 30 - 40 seconds between rounds

- I didn't time this workout. I'd never done it before and just wanted to do it well. I'll try it again sometime soon and see how I fair against the clock.

Yesterday I was predicting that motivation would be low today. My prediction for the most part was wrong. I was really quite keen to work hard. However, I still didn't want to spend a ton of time in the gym today. My actual workout, not including rolling and mobility work took about 20 minutes, so it wasn't very long but I felt it was still very effective. Plus Sunday workouts are nice because I feel I have time to warm-up thoroughly.

As I mentioned earlier, I'm looking to get into some lifting again tomorrow. Last week, I had a few various aches and pains but as I today, I'm feeling pretty good. Hopefully tomorrow and for the rest of the coming week, I can train well and push through some tough workouts.

Richard Gibney's 365 Days of Fitness: Day 288

Day 288 Today I had an unusual amount of work to do for a Saturday. I'm usually at the club for an hour or two on Saturdays but today for one reason or another I had to be there for about 5 hours. This was totally fine, Nicole had a bunch of things to get done so I was happy to work a bit more. The only thing was by the time I was finished work I really didn't want to be at the gym anymore. Yesterday I was done with being at work, I guess those feelings carried over a bit to today.

By the time my day was done, I actually hadn't worked as much as I had planned. I had a couple cancellations, with one of them being my last session, so I took that time to bang out a quick circuit based workout.

Today's Workout:

Exercise 1: Chin-ups 50 reps in as few attempts as possible max 30 seconds rest between attempts 15, 15, 10, 10

Circuit: 2 sets / 30 seconds rest between sets

Exercise 2: Kettlebell Swing 50 reps (16kg)

Exercise 3: Leg Blaster Step-up 50 reps per leg

Exercise 4: Push-ups 30 reps

Exercise 5: Knees to Elbows (Hanging Knee Raises) 15 reps

This workout went pretty well. As I mentioned earlier I wasn't super motivated today, so I was happy to get this one done. Tomorrow, I have nothing going on, except for a little grocery shopping, so I don't forsee fitting in a workout being a problem. However, Sunday's typically are the worst day of the week for me in terms of motivation. I think I'll plan on something short, but really hard. We're having a second Thanksgiving dinner with Nicole's Dad tonight, so I'll need to do something hard enough to minimize the assault of calories.

Richard Gibney's 365 Days of Fitness: Day 287

Day 287 I got off work a little earlier than expected today. I thought about doing a workout before heading home but I just really needed to leave the gym. I got home and immediately lay on the couch and took a nap. The plan was to set an alarm for half an hr later, then wake up and go for a run. When my alarm went off I was a zombie. I pressed snooze for another 10 minutes hoping that I'd feel better. When the alarm went off the second time I felt worse. I thought to myself, if I'm not careful I could fall asleep and not wake up until the next day.

I really didn't want to but I forced myself to get up. I drank some Biosteel high performance sports drink to wake myself up. I find the b-vitamins work wonders when I'm feeling sluggish. I thought about heading back to work to through something together in the gym, but I just couldn't bring myself to go back. I decided in the end to put the running shoes on and go for a run.

Today's Workout:

30 minute Run (Moderate Pace)

The first few minutes of the run really sucked. I felt really slow and heavy, but after the blood got pumping I woke right up and felt much better. I had thought today would be a sprints day, but I just didn't have it in me. however, the run was probably more what I needed. Something a little more low key would enable me to come back stronger and feeling better for the next day.

Richard Gibney's 365 Days of Fitness: Day 286

Day 286 I was hoping to run some treadmill sprints this afternoon, but due to my work schedule I had to have my lunch quite a bit later than usual. I really wanted to run my sprints but I figured it probably wouldn't be a good idea with a belly fully of panang yellow curry.

My stomach was actually a little upset after I ate. I don't usually eat my lunch at 3:30, plus I also think I was really hungry and ate my curry a little too fast. I sat around for a bit waiting for my stomach to settle. After a while I felt better but thought that sprints were still a bad idea. As usual I relied on good old fashioned upper body strength work as a substitute.

Today's Workout:

Exercise 1: Underhand Grip Barbell Row 5 sets / 8 - 10 reps / 2 min rest (135lbs x 10 for all sets)

Exercise 2: Knees up Neutral Grip Chin-up 4 sets / 8 - 10 reps / 2 min rest (Body Weight x 10 for all sets)

Superset 1:

Exercise 3: TRX Wide Grip Row 3 sets / 10 - 12 reps / no rest

Exercise 4: Tricep Pushdowns 3 sets / 10 - 12 reps / 60 sec rest

Superset 2:

Exercise 5: Overhead Tricep Rope Extension 3 sets / 10 - 12 reps / no rest

Exercise 6: Dumbbell Alternating Bicep Curl 3 sets / 10 - 12 reps per side / 60 sec rest

I thought about doing some sprints in the early evening when I was feeling better, but decided to through in tomorrow. I don't foresee anything getting in the way of my eating schedule, and I'll make sure to take my time with my food a little more.

Although the youtube video below doesn't really relate that much to my workout today it's a really funny commentary on abandoning a hard workout. It the case of the video it would lower body.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BS-oRydlnCE

Richard Gibney's 365 Days of Fitness: Day 285

Day 285 I had the pleasure of seeing my chiropractor Helena this morning. I say pleasure somewhat loosely. I do look forward to results I get from seeing her but the process is anything but pleasant. As I mentioned over the last couple posts, my shoulders have been given a bit of grief. My left has been problematic on and off for a while but my right as usually been pretty good until recently. I've been trying to stay on top of my aches and pains before they become full fledged injuries and Helena has been a big part of that. In the past she's been able to give me quite a bit of relief, so hopefully after seeing her, I can get things working well again.

Today's Workout:

Set 1: Hang Snatch: 5 x 60lbs (90 sec rest) Set 2: Hang Snatch: 5 x 95lbs (2 min rest) Set 3: Hang Snatch: 5 x 115lbs (2 min rest)

Set 4: Snatch (Floor): 5 x 115lbs (2 min rest) Set 5: Snatch  (Floor): 3 x 135lbs (Failed on 3rd rep) (3 min rest) Set 6: Snatch (Floor): 3 x 135lbs (3 min rest)

Set 7: Squat Snatch: 4 x 115lbs (2 min rest) Set 8: Squat Snatch: 4 x 115lbs (2 min rest)

Set 9: Front Squat: 5 x 185lbs (3 min rest) Set 10: Front Squat: 5 x 185lbs (3 min rest) Set 11: Front Squat: 5 x 185lbs (3 min rest)

Helena worked magic on me today. It really hurt as usual but it was amazing how the function of my shoulders had been restored after seeing her. Yesterday push-ups were painful. Today I was able to get under the bar during the snatches without a hint of pain. Apparently the internal rotators of my right shoulder we're really seized up and inhibiting normal shoulder movement. This wasn't surprising, as I had been dealing with the shoulder issue since playing in a badminton tournament a couple weeks ago. Gummed up internal rotators is a very common issue amongst racquet sports athletes. Quite simply it was a case of too much too soon. I'd like to get back into playing some badminton but in the future I think I'll start with a game or too instead of a tournament.

On top of the lifting I did earlier in the day I was thinking about joining my group tonight for some treadmill hurricane sprints, however, when I hopped on the treadmill my heel was still quite sore. I wasn't really warmed up, so probably not a great idea to run sprints anyway, but the heel is becoming pretty frustrating. My shoulders were happy today but unfortunately something else was not. Hopefully my foot will calm down soon, so I can get back into some sprints. I only have 80 days left, and want to make them good ones.

Richard Gibney's 365 Days of Fitness: Day 284

Day 283 I was happy that I was able to complete yesterday's bench press session, but my shoulders were a lot more sore today than I had hoped. I decided to take a break from the weights and do a little more cardio today. I was originally planning on doing a long interval session on the bike and getting a really good sweat going but I just couldn't get into it. I hopped off the bike after 15 minutes and went to my trusted old friend the skipping rope.

Today's Workout:

Stationary Bike: 15 minutes (Level 12 - 15 / 90 - 95 rpm)

Skipping: 100 Double Unders x 4 sets (60 seconds rest)

The skipping went a lot better than I thought. I've been avoiding anything with impact lately because my heel has bothering me, but thankfully it didn't bother me today. It still hurts a bit when I walk but it is getting better. I have to be a little more diligent about icing and it should be fine in no time.

Tomorrow, I'm getting another active release session done on my shoulders in the morning. They're feeling better than they were over the last week but still not quite as well I'd like them to. I think one more session of ART should clear up the last little bit of bound up muscle and fascia.

Richard Gibney's 365 Days of Fitness: Day 283

Day 283 I ended up doing my workout in two parts today. This morning I joined my client Ryan for a bench press focused session using a protocol I hadn't used before. Then in the evening I went back to the gym with Nicole and added a couple more full body functional exercises.

The bench press session this morning utilized a 10 sets of 3 reps protocol. In the past I've used a 10 sets of 10 reps protocol for the purpose of accumulating volume and developing muscle mass. The purpose of today's protocol wasn't much different. The main goal in the end was to get a lot of work in but the load that I was using was a lot heavier.

Typically when we use heavier loads it stimulates the recruitment of fast twitch muscle fibers. Of the muscle fibers in the body, these fibers are the most powerful and the strongest. Your fiber type make-up is determined by your genes. Athletes such as sprinters and weight lifters typically have a higher percentage of fast twitch muscle fibers, whereas marathon runners and other endurance athletes will have a higher percentage of slow twitch fibers. The average person will have a more balanced ratio of fast versus slow twitch muscle fibers. Although your genes play a major role in your fiber type, through training you can shift you body more toward fast or slow twitch.

By performing multiple sets of a heavier load, I will stimulate more fast twitch fibers than if I used a lighter load for more reps. Typically though if I were to perform sets with a 3 repetition maximum load I wouldn't be able to perform very many sets. For today's protocol, the goal was to perform a large number of sets with a relatively high load, so to accomplish this goal I used a slightly lighter load than I would if I did a single set of 3 reps. The main benefit of this protocol doesn't come from just the load but from the accumulated volume of heavy reps over the course of the workout.

Today's Workout:

AM Component:

Bench Press Prep:

Dowel Chest Opener: 10 reps Dowel Shoulder Turn-Over (Posterior Deltoid Opener): 5 reps per side Dowel Internal Rotator Stretch: 10 seconds per side

Tubing T: 15 reps Tubing External Shoulder Rotation: 15 reps per side

Push-ups: 10 reps

Exercise 1: Bench Press 10 sets / 3 reps / 2 min rest Set 1 through 10: 3 x 185lbs

My shoulders have been a little dodgey lately. My left was bugging me for a bit but settled down and lately it had been my right. I avoided most pressing movements last week to let my shoulders calm down and thought today would be ok. Thankfully, things went pretty well. I was able to bench with relatively no pain, however, relatively is not what I was hoping for. I was thinking I'd push closer to 205 for my sets today but after I decided to be a little more cautious and go a bit lighter. I still pushed a good amount of weight over the course of the workout, just not as much as I had hoped.

PM Component

Foam Rolling:

Upper spine Lats Glutes IT Bands

Tennis Ball Trigger Point:

Deep Hip Rotators

Exercise 1: Kettlebell Swing 3 sets / 10 reps / 60 seconds rest Set 1 through 3: 24 kg x 10 reps

Exercise 2: Power Clean 4 sets / 5 reps / 2 min rest Set 1 through 4: 135 lbs x 5 reps

Exercise 3: Barbell Overhead Squat 3 sets / 6 reps / 60 seconds rest Set 1 through 6: 95 lbs x 6 reps

My AM workout was pretty monotonous, so getting into some bigger more dynamic movements later in the day was quite satisfying. The extra foam rolling and soft tissue work was also very welcome. I didn't do any cardio today but I'll try to make up for it tomorrow. I might join Nicole first thing in the morning. Not typically my best workout time but I'll give a try.

Richard Gibney's 365 Days of Fitness: Day 282

Day 282 For my workout today once again, like yesterday, I found myself with very limited time for a workout. I had about 40 minutes to get to the gym, do a workout, get back home, shower and get changed for Thanksgiving Dinner. It took me about 5 minutes to get to the gym which was pretty good time. I ran up to the gym as fast as I could and got into my workout gear. By this time I had about 30 minutes. I needed a really quick workout but I also I wanted it to be really hard. I was about to eat a massive meal and really wanted to get the metabolism jacked up before consuming a couple thousand calories.

A couple months ago, I tried the Fraser Quelch Battle Rope Challenge. Fraser is a world re-known fitness expert and presenter. I follow his blog and posts on facebook. I found one particular series of posts quite interesting. Fraser was blogging about a training progression he was using to build up to 20 minutes of continuous battle ropes. like most things, intensity will play a part in how long you can do something, but if you've ever tried battle ropes, you know that even one minute is incredibly difficult.

On my first attempt at Fraser's challenge, I managed 10 minutes of alternating waves with the battle ropes. I could have maybe managed another minute but I was toast. Today I decided I had 15 minutes to get a workout in and that was how long I was going to do the ropes for. Obviously I could have done these very slowly and managed 15 minutes no problem but my plan was to maintain a relatively high intensity throughout. Quantitatively, I did my best make sure that the wave of the rope went all the way to anchor point, every time I moved the rope. For speed I maintained at least 2 waves of the rope per second.

The first 5 minutes were pretty tough. By minute 4, I was thinking there's no way I'm going to manage another 11 minutes. The second 5 minutes were a bit easier. You kind of get into a zone and just plug away. The last 5 minutes however, were brutal. Mentally you're not sure if you can make it and physical everything is just screaming. In the end I hung on and finished a full 15 minutes. Afterward, I was totally fried. I lay on the ground for about 3 minutes trying to catch my breath, a 3 minutes I hadn't factored into my 40 minute time limit.

Today's Workout:

15 minutes of continuous battle ropes (alternating waves)

Bonus activities

• Moving a massive plant to Nicole's Mom's house
• Lifting and emptying a big pot of potatoes
• Mashing Potatoes
• Copious amounts of chewing and subsequent digesting

After putting myself back together I managed to get back home, showered and changed just in time for the massive feast that Nicole and her sister Clare had put together. It was amazing. I had to wait until the inevitable food coma had passed so that I could write this post. An hour ago I'm pretty sure there wasn't enough blood going to my brain for me to write a single sentence.

Well, I managed to complete 15 minutes of battle ropes. I'm not at the same level as Fraser. I have some work to do yet. 15 minutes crushed me and I'm pretty sure I was maxed out. 20 minutes is going to be tough. On the plus side I'm pretty sure my metabolism was firing on all cylinders as I sat down for Thanksgiving dinner. In the grand scheme of things the meal was so big it didn't make too much of a difference but at least my body was well prepped to absorb lots of nutrients.

Richard Gibney's 365 Days of Fitness: Day 281

Day 281 Being the day before Thanksgiving, Nicole and I had a quite few errands to get finished for the big feast tomorrow. By the time we had done most of the things on our list, the day was pretty much gone. We were meeting some friends for dinner, so I didn't have a lot of time to get in a workout. I decided that instead of heading to the gym for a quick workout, that I would finish the rest of our list and get a workout at the same time. Instead of driving to last few spots to pick up our items I decided to ride my bike instead.

I made the most out of the bike ride by choosing a very in-direct route to my various destinations. Overall, I probably rode about 15 kilometres in 35 minutes. I made a point of including a pretty long and steep hill towards the beginning of my ride and riding fairly fast when I had enough space to build up speed. I stopped at the cheese place to pick up appetizers and pastries, then to the organic food supermarket for some other various items.

It wasn't an overly difficult workout but it was good exercise. The hill was really quite tough and when I got home I was definitely sweating. It won't put much of a dent in the amount of calories I'm about to consume over the next couple days but it's something.

Richard Gibney's 365 Days of Fitness: Day 280

Day 280 My body for some reason was quite sore today. I guess the last couple days took a bigger toll on me than I thought they would. I wanted to do bench today but my right shoulder was nagging me a bit. Ever since the badminton tournament last weekend my right arm from my wrist to my shoulder has been a bit sore. Nothing seems truly injured, just really fired up from doing something I hadn't done for a very long time.

I had a few openings in my day that I dedicated to some rolling and other soft tissue methods. I found a pretty fierce upper spine mobilizer technique that worked really well. It was not a lot of fun but wow did it give me some relief. Check it out below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2j1cGdFAhM&list=WLrlZdKW2sUNW_mluui44aXTxTbMCeZ7fB

My legs were really tired and stiff today as well, so in the end I decided to give both my legs and my shoulders a break. Nicole was working on some kickboxing with a friend for a little over an hr after work. To kill time while I waited for Nicole to finish I through together a pretty random series of core focused exercises.

Today's Workout

Superset 1

Exercise 1: Bubka Hanging Leg Raises 3 sets / 8 reps / no rest

Exercise 2: Kettlebell Suitcase Carry 3 sets / 30 sec per side /60 sec rest (32 kg)

Exercise 3: Turkish Get-up 2 sets / 5 reps per side / 60 sec rest

Superset 2

Exercise 4: Lalanne Push-ups (I didn't do these as well as the video but I wasn't bad) 2 sets / 10 reps / no rest

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9bsYm--U0I

Exercise 5: 1/2 Kneeling Forward Stability Chop 2 sets / 10 reps per side / 60 sec rest

Circuit

Exercise 6: TRX Body Saw 2 sets / 10 reps / no rest

Exercise 7: Anti-Rotation Cable Press 2 sets / 10 reps (2 sec holds) / no rest

Exercise 8: Back Extensions 2 sets / 20 reps / no rest

Exercise 9: Inverted Kettlebell Carry 2 sets / 30 seconds per side (16 kg) / 60 sec rest

This workout was actually quite challenging. It didn't aggravate any areas I was trying protect but it was difficult. I have a feel my abs will be talking to me in the morning. As I mentioned earlier, I don't think the shoulder will be problem long term. I felt babying it for a couple days would avoid developing anything chronic. I'll try get in for Active Release early on next week but my hope is that in the next couple days, if I'm smart, I won't actually need any treatment.

Richard Gibney's 365 Days of Fitness: Day 279

Day 279 By the time today came around I hadn't done much in terms of high heart rate stuff. I've been joining my conditioning group on most Mondays and Wednesdays lately. This typically gets my heart and lungs pumping pretty well. This week however, I've been nursing my heel so I skipped out on the group sessions this week. I did manage to get some lifting in, which actually left me quite sore today, so I figured today would be a good day to unload a bit and get some cardio in.

Today's Workout:

1. 1000 metre Row (4:00 min)

2. Body Weight Circuit: As many rounds as possible in 10 minutes

• Chin-ups 10 reps
• Push-ups 20 reps
• Air Squats 30 reps = 1 round

Completed 5 Rounds

3. Stationary Bike Intervals

1 min / Level 10 / 80 rpm 20 sec / Level 18 / 80 rpm 20 sec / Level 5 / 80 rpm 20 sec / Level 18 / 80 rpm x 5

My legs were a little tired from the cleans and squats from yesterday. The air squats weren't too bad but by the time I got to the bike my legs were fried. However, it was nice to get a good solid sweat going. The weights are fun, but it's still nice to get that heart rate up and keep it there for a while. I'm not likely to take up marathon running any time soon, but I am willing to admit I can enjoy crushing it on the bike from time to time.

Richard Gibney's 365 Days of Fitness: Day 278

Day 278 With the exception of my heel, I was pretty much ache free today. Things had been dialed back a bit the last couple days, so I was looking forward to working a bit harder today. I swapped out my minimalist shoes for my Adidas running shoes to provide a little more cushioning. It seemed to do the trick as I hardly noticed my heel all day. I decided to pass on any running or impact for another day but I felt up to working on some Olympic lifting. It's not technically lifting but It certainly helps with it.

Today's Workout:

Set 1: Power Clean (Hang) 60lbs x 6 Set 2: Power Clean (Hang) 100lbs x 6 Set 3: Power Clean (Hang) 130lbs x 6 Set 4: Power Clean (Floor) 150lbs x 5 Set 5: Power Clean (Floor) 150lbs x 5 Set 6: Power Clean (Floor) 160lbs x 5 Set 7: Jumping Back Squats 155lbs x 5 Set 8: Jumping Back Squats 155lbs x 5 Set 9: Jumping Back Squats 155lbs x 5 Set 10: Front Squats 155lbs x 5 Set 11: Front Squats 175lbs x 5 Set 12: Front Squats 195lbs x 5

Total Reps: 81 Tonnage: 1740lbs

I didn't lift as heavy as last week but my focus this week was a little more technical. I had been watching a couple videos on maximizing hip extension during snatches and cleans, so that was my priority. I feel I have a decent amount of strength to support my Olympic lifts, but I have a couple holes in my technique that are likely limiting the amount of weight I can lift. I feel on the whole I was pretty successful today. I'm noticing weekly improvements which is really satisfying.

Richard Gibney's 365 Days of Fitness: Day 277

Day 277 For some reason today I was really tired. The energy levels were really low and although I wouldn't have called my efforts at work today poor, they certainly weren't top notch. I even got a couple extra hours of sleep, so my lethargy seemed extra unusual. Either way I had to plug away.

I managed to find about 35 minutes for my workout today. I was hoping to do something a little harder today, like some intervals of a metabolic circuit, but I just wasn't up to it. On top of being low on energy my heel from the weekend was quite sore today. Jumping or anything high impact was probably best left off the menu today. My go to workout when I'm feeling a little less than 100% tends to be an auxiliary based upper body workout, so to no surprise that's what happened today.

Today's Workout:

Exercise 1: Lateral Db Raises 4 sets / 12 - 15 reps / 60 seconds rest Set 1: 17.5 lbs x 15 Set 2: 20 lbs x 15 Set 3: 25 lbs x 12 (This made my right shoulder a little crankly. I did a little soft tissue smashing during my rest period. Seemed to help quite a bit) Set 4: 20 lbs x 15

Superset 1

Exercise 2: Barbell Overhead Press (Wasn't going to do this but my shoulder felt much better after a little more soft tissue work, so I through it in) 4 sets / 10 - 12 reps / no rest Set 1: 80 lbs x 12 Set 2: 80 lbs x 12 Set 3: 80 lbs x 12 Set 4: 80 lbs x 12

Exercise 3: Dumbbell Bicep Curl 4 sets / 12 - 15 reps / 60 seconds rest Set 1 through 4 - 35lbs x 15

Superset 2

Exercise 4: V-Bar Tricep Pushdowns 4 sets / 12 - 15 reps / no rest Sets 1 through 4 - 135lbs x 15

Exercise 5: Single Arm High Elbow Cable Row 4 sets / 12 reps per side / no rest Sets 1 though 4 - 50lbs x 12 per side

My right shoulder was a little sore as I got started but I managed to work out some of the kinks by doing a little bit of soft tissue work on the my posterior deltoid. Swinging a badminton racquet ineffectively on the weekend had left a mark but I'm pretty sure it will be short lived. My heel on the other hand is being a real pest. It probably would be fine by now but I think walking around in my minimalist shoes with no cushioning is irritating the inflamed tissues around my heel. I'll ice a bit tonight and wear my running shoes tomorrow instead.