Richard Gibney's 365 Days of Fitness: Day 343

Day 343 As I mentioned yesterday, my plan was to make today’s workout a good one.  I took it a little easier on the weekend, so that my energy would be topped up. I’ve been slowly trying to get back to lifting some heavy loads. Things have been going well, so with today being a good day to push the envelope I decided to challenge myself a little more.

Today’s Workout:

Exercise 1: Barbell Push-Press 4 sets / 10 reps / 2 min rest Set 1: 95lbs x 10 Set 2: 115lbs x 10 Set 3: 115lbs x 10 Set 4: 115lbs x 10

Exercise 2: Hexagon Deadlift 4 sets / 6 – 8 reps / 2 min rest Set 1: 150lbs x 8 Set 2: 220lbs x 8 Set 3: 240lbs x 8 Set 4: 260lbs x 8

Superset

Exercise 3: Extended Chin-up Set

4 sets / * / no rest - Wide Grip x 6-8 (rest 10 sec) - Underhand Grip to failure (rest 10 sec) - Neutral Grip to failure (go to exercise 4)

Exercise 4: Barbell Overhead Walking Lunge 4 sets / 10 reps per side / 2 min rest Set 1 through Set 4: 80lbs x 10 per side

Metabolic Conditioning

Battle Ropes:

Snap Downs: 4 sets / 20 reps / 30 seconds rest

It wasn't exactly a superhuman effort, but I threw around a decent amount of weight. My back withstood close to 300lbs on the deadlift and felt great. The push-presses weren't super heavy but I managed to move the bar with some power and speed which felt really good. With 3 weeks left to go until the end of the year, things are shaping up nicely for a strong finish.

Today was pretty light on the cardio. On top of getting stronger, I want to push my conditioning as well. I've been dabbling with the versa climber with some of clients lately. I think tomorrow, I might subject myself to the same torture. It's really not a lot of fun, but for conditioning few other methods are as effective.

Richard Gibney's 365 Days of Fitness: Day 342

Day 342 After feeling like a human popsicle for the last couple days, I decided to spend most of the day inside. I just felt like I needed a little break from the Arctic like temperatures. Last night I had another great sleep, that with the addition of a sleep in left me feeling like a million bucks. I really am convinced that sleep is magic. I've been so deprived for so long, that I really didn't know what I was missing.

After a pretty relaxing day, save for one quick trip to Costco, I got around to a very basic home yoga session in my bedroom. I'm not an avid Yogi, but I've been to enough classes to know enough poses to challenge myself.

Today's Workout:

30 minutes of home yoga.

Well I'm sure if an actual Yoga instructor saw what I put together, they would probably think it was a mess, but I did what I could. I found it challenging. It seems like half the poses I know are challenging. I probably remember them because they hurt. Either way, I did my best. I think I need to go to a few more classes before I can throw together a real yoga workout. I also threw in some push-ups, for good measure.

As I mentioned yesterday, I really want to make this week, and the next couple weeks really count. I feel nice and rested after the weekend, so I feeling good about working really hard tomorrow. I really hope the great sleep continues. Working out is so much better after a good night's sleep.

Richard Gibney's 365 Days of Fitness: Day 341

Day 341 Today was Christmas tree day. I was thinking of picking up our tree earlier this week but just couldn't bring myself to venture out into the cold and throw a tree on top of my car. I was hoping the weather might be a little bit warmer, but no such luck. So inevitably, I had to throw a tree on top of my car in the cold anyway.

I called my friend Steve to be my tree helper. Sometimes these trees are covered with snow and can be really heavy. We went to Home Depot with Nicole and found a nice fat tree. With Steve's help I was able to hoist this thing on the roof of my car, then Nicole, using her special tie down skills was able to fasten it securely.

The tree and the straps made a funny humming sound as we drove home. The wind made it feel like I had sail on top of my car. When we got home we carried it inside and set the tree up on the stand. I really couldn't car if we had a real tree or a fake tree but Nicole loves the real ones, so it's worth the effort.

My workout today was going to be a short one. After dropping off my buddy Steve from his Christmas tree duties, I went to the gym and tried to get a sweat going. I didn't have a ton of energy today, so I had a feeling it wasn't going to be a stellar effort.

Today's Workout:

Stationary Bike: 10 minutes Level 12 / 95 rpm

Rowing Machine: 200 metre Repeats sub 45 seconds intervals 30 seconds rest 5 Intervals

50 push-ups

I wanted to do more than I accomplished tonight but I just didn't have the enthusiasm to do anymore. I can think of other places I'd rather be a 6:00 on a Saturday night than the gym. If the weather was better I might have gone for a run, but I think I'd had enough time in the cold over the last couple days.

I think tomorrow I'm going to do my best to stay inside as much as possible. I have a yoga dvd I downloaded from itunes that I think I'll use for my workout. I want to train really hard in the coming week, so I think a recovery, more regenerative day will help make that possible.

Richard Gibney's 365 Days of Fitness: Day 340

Day 340 As I mentioned yesterday, today was the day I was helping a friend move into his new house. To say I had my reservations about moving furniture in snowy minus 25 temperatures, would be an understatement. However, my friend Dietmar helped me move in similar conditions, so it was only fair that I returned the favor.

We got started a little bit later than expected. He had his things packed up in a storage container that was being delivered to his house. Unfortunately because of the weather, the first truck they tried to send broke down. When a second truck was send things still weren't exactly straight forward. Because of the deep snow, lowering the storage container off the truck onto the right spot was a little tricky. At one point Dietmar and I were worried that the guy running the truck was going to get crushed under the container.

Thankfully, no one died and we were able to start moving things into the house. My friend Steve and one of Dietmar's tennis students, Austin, were also there to help out. Aside from a couple beds and a couch, there weren't too many large pieces of furniture. I had to take a few short breaks to let my fingers and toes warm-up. After about an hour an a half we managed to get most of the things moved into the house, so in the end it really wasn't that big a job. That being said, it was bloody cold and not a ton of fun.

I went back to work after the move and took a 30 minute shower to try and warm-up. This was great except for the fact that as the blood returned to my fingers and toes, they felt like they were on fire. I know, I'm complaining a lot. After thawing out and feeling like a warm blooded human I got into some lifting.

Today's Workout:

On top of moving furniture in the cold.

Exercise 1: barbell hang snatch 4 sets / 6 reps / 3 min rest Set 1: 95lbs x 6 Set 2: 115lbs x 6 Set 3: 115lbs x 6 Set 4: 125lbs x 6

Exercise. 2: Front Squats 4 sets / 5 reps / 3 min rest Set 1: 155lbs x 6 Set 2: 175lbs x 6 Set 3: 175lbs x 6 Set 4: 175lbs x 6

Exercise 3: Barbell Deadlift 4 sets / 5 reps / 3 min rest Set 1: 185lbs x 6 Set 2: 185lbs x 6 Set 3: 205lbs x 6 Set 4: 205lbs x 6

By the end of the day I was very tired. The moving in the cold was pretty tiring but adding the lifting afterward left me exhausted. That being said, it was a very satisfying feeling to know that I expended so much energy.

I'm quite happy with how this week panned out, exercise wise. I think the next couple days will be a little more low key. I've put in a lot of work over the last few days and deserve to take it a little easier for a couple days.

Richard Gibney's 365 Days of Fitness: Day 339

Day 339 Well after the charity bike ride yesterday, my right hip flexor and adductor were really angry today. I've done a lot of workouts this year, but cycling at 140+ rpm for 30 minutes was not one of them. Oh well it was for a good cause and we raised a lot of money. As a team we raised over 9,000 dollars.

I was thinking about doing some Olympic lifting today, but because my hip flexor was feeling kinked up from the bike, I decided to give my lower body a break. Instead, as I have many times this year, I defaulted to some good old fashioned biceps and triceps work. I also gave a little bit of focus to some rotator cuff and upper back work to balance out the bench pressing I did yesterday.

Today's Workout:

Superset 1:

A1. Dumbbell External Rotation (Elbow on Preacher Bench) 3 sets / 10 reps per side / 60 seconds rest - 20lbs

A2. Rope Face Pull 3 sets / 10 - 12 reps / 60 seconds rest - 50lbs

Superset 2:

B1. Ez Curl Standing Barbell Curl 4 sets / 6-8 reps / 60 seconds rest - 95lbs

B2. Tricep Pushdowns 4 sets / 6-8 reps / 60 seconds rest - 140lbs

Superset 3:

C1. Dumbbell Bicep Curls 4 sets / 8-10 reps / 60 seconds rest - 45lbs

C2. Overhead Tricep Rope Extension 4 sets / 8 reps per side / 60 seconds rest - 60lbs

My hip flexor felt a lot better by the end of the day. I think I should be good to go tomorrow for a good lower body workout. I missed out on doing some Olympic lifts today, so I'm hoping I can make up for it tomorrow.

On top of lifting some weights, I'm helping a friend move into his new house tomorrow. I've done my share of moving, but this should be an interesting challenge, seeing as it's supposed to be -25 tomorrow. We're Canadians and we're supposed to be ok with the cold, but he's originally from South Africa and my family is from Ireland. Our chances of survival may be in question.

Richard Gibney's 365 Days of Fitness: Day 338

Day 338 2 nights in a row of solid sleep. I'm really hoping this trend continues. It's so nice to wake up not feeling like a zombie. Even with the darkness of a December morning I was alert and ready for work when I got to the gym this morning. I'm not sure if it's the UV light or the supplements I've been taking lately, but I'm going to continue with my regimen.

For my workout today, I decided to spend a little bit of time doing some upper body strength work, before doing a charity bike ride for the Glencoe's annual fundraiser, Project Angel.

Today's Workout:

Exercise 1: Barbell Bench Press 5 sets / 8 - 10 reps / 2 min rest Set 1: 185lbs x 10 Set 2: 185lbs x 10 Set 3: 185lbs x 8 Set 4: 185lbs x 8 Set 5: 185lbs x 8

Exercise 2: Barbell Inclined Press 4 sets / 8 - 10 reps / 2 min rest Set 1: 135lbs x 10 Set 2: 135lbs x 10 Set 3: 185lbs x 6 Set 4: 155lbs x 8

The first part of the workout was a quick chest focused session. My buddy Harrison was giving me the gears about not going heavy enough. I've been going a bit conservative with the upper push movements to spare my shoulder, but things have been going really well, so I think next week I'm going to try and push the envelope. Besides I can't let Harrison get away with busting my balls like that.

The Wings on Wheels Charity Bike Ride was held today at the Glencoe club to raise funds for the Boy's and Girl's Club of Calgary. Starting this morning at 7am, and continuing for 12 hours, club members and employees kept 2 stationary bikes going all day. Every 30 minutes a new employee and club member would replace the previous pair on the bikes.

My partner on the bike ride was a great guy named Dick Seville. Initially, he wanted to donate a dollar for every calorie burned in 30 minutes. However, when we got to the bikes we were told that there was a bit of a competition going to see who could cover the most distance. Not wanting to be left out we decided to join in.

Wings on Wheels Charity Bike Ride:

Keiser Spin Bike: 30 minutes / Gear 7 - 11 / 130 - 140 + Avg RPM

Dick and I ended up setting the new record for distance, finishing just under 20 kilometres in 30 minutes. The thing is the competition was pretty flawed. The distance on our particular bikes was not very realistic. On most other stationary bikes, your distance is calculated as factor of your cadence and your resistance. On these bike the distance is calculated simply by cadence. The faster we went the farther we went. I started off with a somewhat medium resistance but then realized it wasn't making a difference if I had a higher gear or a lower gear at the same tension, so I decided to drop my resistance and try to maintain the highest cadence I possibly could. It was still a tough 30 minutes but I think If we decided to measure calories expended in 30 minutes it would have been much more difficult. Anyway, regardless of the flaws in the competition, the bike ride was a success. On the whole we raised a ton of money for a very worthy cause.

Richard Gibney's 365 Days of Fitness: Day 337

Day 337 Today was just as cold and miserable as yesterday, but I felt much better. I woke up feeling a lot less tired and was a lot more enthusiastic about getting on with my day. I decided that I should take advantage of the extra energy and challenge myself. I haven't been very happy with my Olympic lifting lately, so I thought I'd today I might make some improvements.

Today's Workout:

AM Session

Exercise 1: Power Clean - 3 min rest Set 1: 5 x 100lbs Set 2: 5 x 100lbs Set 3: 3 x 165lbs Set 4: 3 x 165lbs Set 5: 3 x 165lbs

Exercise 2: Barbell Overhead Lunge - 2 min rest Set 1: 8 x 95lbs (4 per side) Set 2: 8 x 115lbs (4 per side) Set 3: 8 x 115lbs (4 per side) Set 4: 8 x 115lbs (4 per side)

I thought the cleans and lunges were going to be it for my workout today but I ended up having a cancellation at the end of my day. I still and hour before picking Nicole up at work, so this left me with some extra time to sneak in some auxiliary exercises.

PM Session

Superset 1

Exercise 3: Box Pistol Squat 3 sets / 10 reps per side / no rest - Body Weight all sets

Exercise 4: Prone Leg Curl 3 sets / 8 reps / 60 seconds rest - 130lbs all sets

Superset 2

Exercise 5: Weighted Back Extension 3 sets / 10 reps / no rest - 45lbs all sets

Exercise 6: Seated Calf Raise 3 sets / 10 reps / no rest - 90lbs all sets

Skipping Double Unders: 4 sets / 50 reps / 30 seconds rest

I didn't manage to get much done in my second session. I kind of mulled over what I wanted to do for my exercises for awhile. I ended up wasting quite a bit of time before finally deciding what to do. I was keen to work out but I guess my enthusiasm didn't match my energy.

Last Friday, I did some Olympic lifting but wasn't very happy with my efforts. Today I felt a lot better about how I did. I made a conscious decision not to go as heavy, but I still challenged myself. My cleans didn't feel as slow or as awkward as Friday. Last week I was ridiculously tired. Today, I felt much better. I may have been a bit tired during the second session, but I'm happy that the morning was very satisfying.

Richard Gibney's 365 Days of Fitness: Day 335 (Actually 336)

Day 335 (Apparently I still can't do math. This is actually day 336. I will somehow have to found out where my math went wrong. As I said awhile back, I think when I transitioned from facebook to this blog I must have numbered my days incorrectly somewhere. Once again though, I promise I have not missed a day) Today, like the rest of Alberta, I woke up to full power of the great white north on display. Getting out of my bed was especially difficult. I think bears are on to something, by sleeping through winter.

I found it difficult to get my body going all day. It just felt cold and slow. I thought about getting in a morning workout but decided to wait until later when I felt a little more alive. Eventually I managed to bring myself to get going around 3 in the afternoon, about an hour before the sun went down. Although it never really felt like it came up.

With yesterday being a strictly strength based workout, I decided to hit up some cardio and general conditioning.

Today's Workout:

2000 metre row: 7:56

Kettlebell Ladder: 32 kg x 10 / no rest 24 kg x 20 / no rest 20 kg x 30 / 2 min rest

Versa Climber: 100 feet (45 seconds) x 5 / 45 seconds rest

This session was pretty straight forward. Work hard, rest, then work hard a different way. The 2000 metres on the rower was interesting. I've been doing a lot of shorter distance intervals, so something more continuous was a change of pace. The kettlebell ladder was really tough. Starting with the 32 kilograms was hard, but continuing right after with the 24 kilograms for 20 reps was really hard. The versa climber as usual just plain sucked.

The weather is supposed to be pretty awful for the next couple days. Getting the energy up is going to be a little harder than usual but I guess that's to be expected in December. The other day Nicole picked up this special light that simulates day light. The idea is to sit in front of it for 10 - 15 minutes a day. As I mentioned in an earlier post, sun light helps regulate our circadium rhythm, which in turns helps regulate sleep. On top of regulating sleep sun light helps our brain produce serotonin. Serotonin makes you feel good, it makes you feel up. Lack of sun light can create a deficit in Serotonin leading to feelings of being down and lethargic. My hope is that this light will help me sleep and feel a little more energetic during the day. No winter blues for me.

Richard Gibney's 365 Days of Fitness: Day 334

Day 334 I woke up feeling much better today. I'm sure why, but I slept much better last night. The most probable reason was that exhaustion finally caught up to me. Anyway, I was very happy to not be walking around like a zombie today. Especially seeing as it was a cost-co, Ikea double wammy today.

For my workout I tried something a little more challenging than yesterday's. I went to the gym a little bit before going dinner at Nicole's Dad's, so that I could try to get my appetite going a bit. The massive mucho burrito a had while shopping today, was a tall order for my body to digest.

Today's Workout:

Exercise 1:Barbell Push-Press 4 sets / 10 reps / 2 min rest Set 1: 115lbs  x 10 Set 2: 115lbs x 10 Set 3: 135lbs x 10 Set 4: 135lbs x 10

Superset

Exercise 2: Chin-up Extended Set: 4 sets / * / 90 seconds rest * each set began with wide grip pull-ups to failure followed by 15 seconds rest, then underhand grip chin-up to failure, followed by 15 seconds rest, then neutral grip chin-ups to failure.

Exercise 3: Barbell Overhead Press 4 sets / 10 - 12 reps / 90 seconds rest All sets used 95lbs for 12 reps

Dumbbell Shoulder Complex: 3 sets / no rest after rowing machine / 20lbs for all sets

• Lateral Raise: 10 reps
• Fwd Raise: 10 reps
• Reverse Fly: 10 reps
• Rowing Machine 200 metres

It felt good to be able to put forth a decent effort in the gym today. Especially considering how useless I felt today. How I sleep tonight is still up the air, but at least with one good night under my belt, I feel better about starting a new week tomorrow.

Guess what less than a month to go.

Richard Gibney's 365 Days of Fitness: Day 333

Day 333 Today I am absolutely bagged. I think I've slept a combined total of 4 hours over the last two days. Plus last night was Nicole's Christmas party, meaning that not only am I tired I'm also hung over from a little too much wine. Needless to say I've felt better. This sleep issue is really starting to interfere with not just my workouts but with my everyday quality of life. It's quite frustrating but I'm confident that I'll find an answer.

I really wasn't sure what I was going to do for my workout today but after spending the majority of the day on the couch, I came up with something. In an effort to deal my sleep I was researching supplements and possible nutritional solutions. I came across this amino acid called Taurine, that has been shown to help people sleep by helping the body produce neurotransmitters responsible for calming down the nervous system. I decided to go to the health food store pick up some taurine, but instead of driving I rode my bike.

To learn some more about the benefits of taurine the link below is worth taking a look at.

http://www.poliquingroup.com/ArticlesMultimedia/Articles/Article/782/Relieve_Stress_Naturallywith_Taurine.aspx

Today's Workout:

Bike Ride to Health Food Store and Back: 30 minutes

Strict Push-ups: 3 sets / 30 reps (3 seconds lowering, 1 second pause at bottom, 1 second pause at top)

The health food store isn't too far away from my house, so it wasn't a very long bike ride. I did however, try to ride quite fast to make it somewhat physically challenging. I found the taurine and made a point of taking a longer route back home. When I got back home I did some push-ups with some strict tempo. I felt I needed to do just a little bit more than ride my bike.

Well it wasn't the best day for exercise, but I did get moving. I took some taurine tonight. I'm not sure if it's something that works right away of if it takes time to build up for the effects to take hold. I plan on doing some more research. Either way I'm hoping to get some rest tonight.

Richard Gibney's 365 Days of Fitness: Day 332

Day 332: Today I wanted to do some sprinting. As I mentioned yesterday, I haven't sprinted for a while. I'm not sure why, I guess It's just not very convenient considering that where I work and train we don't have a decent track. So to make sure I could get the most out of some sprints today, I used a good 200 metre track at a public fitness facility called the Talisman Centre.

I had a terrible sleep last night, so I was really not feeling like running fast. I knew the only way I was going do perform well was if I managed to get wake up my body. I decided to spend a good 20 minutes warming up before doing a single sprint.

Today's Workout:

Track Warm-up

• Fwd Skip (Double Arm Swing)
• Fwd Skip (Alternating Arm Swing)
• Lateral Shuffle (Arm Scissors)
• Ankle Skip
• 2 step / Fwd Leg Swing
• Ankle Run
• 2 step drop lunge
• Side Leg Swing: 10 per side

Section 1: Accelerations 4 sets / 20 metres / 45 seconds rest Set 1: 80% Set 2: 85% Set 3: 90% Set 4: 90%

Section 2: Sprints 4 sets / 60 metres / 60 seconds rest Set 1: 75% Set 2: 80% Set 3: 85% Set 4: 90%

The sprints went pretty well. In the past my hip flexors have given me a little bit of grief when I sprint, but today they felt fine. I didn't feel very fast. I think my tank was a little drained from the lack of sleep.

After the sprints, I decided to work on some Olympic lifting. Like sprinting, Olympic lifting involves explosive muscle contractions. Considering I didn't perform that well on the track, I wasn't expecting to do a great job with my Olympic lifts.

Section 3: Olympic Lifting 3 minutes rest between sets.

Set 1: Clean Pull / 135lbs x 5 Set 2: Clean Pull / 135lbs x 5 Set 3: Power Clean / 135lbs x 5 Set 4: Power Clean / 135lbs x 5 Set 5: Squat Clean / 185lbs x 3 Set 6: Squat Clean / 185lbs x 3 Set 7: Squat Clean / 185bs x 3

As I expected the lifting didn't go too well. it wasn't terrible but I just felt really slow. Hopefully, I can get a better sleep tonight and recover some energy. I don't plan on doing anything too fast or explosive tomorrow, but recouping some explosive will be satisfying. I don't like feeling slow.

Richard Gibney's 365 Days of Fitness: Day 331

Day 331 I was quite happy this morning when I woke up and wasn't super sore from my three training sessions yesterday. I'm feeling quite strong and healthy as I approach the home stretch here. I feel If I can keep going at my current pace, not only will I finish out the year but I think I can still make some significant improvements.

Even though I was too beat up after yesterday's monster workout, I decided that today's workout should be much less ambitious. I took a break from the weights and any circuit training and did some pretty basic cardio instead.

Today's Workout:

Stationary Bike: 25 minutes / Light to Medium Intensity (Level 8 - 10 / 95 - 100 rpm)

The bike ride didn't take too much out of me. The intensity and the duration was just enough to break a sweat and loosen up my legs. It's never a lot of fun to just sit and spin your legs for half an hour but it was beneficial in the grand scheme of things. I expect tomorrow to feel really fresh and ready for some tough workouts.

Tomorrow, I may actually do some track sprints. I haven't done any sprinting for a long time. I'm not sure how they'll go, but I'm looking forward to giving them a try. Nothing makes you feel like you're getting a lot work done, like sprints.

Richard Gibney's 365 Days of Fitness: Day 330

Day 330 Today's Workout:

Today's Workout was rather extensive. I started off with a simple workout to finish up what I didn't get to yesterday, then somehow by the end of the day I had finished 3 workouts.

Session 1:

Yesterday, I ran out of time and didn't get to all of my planned exercises. I wanted to get in enough upper back and shoulder exercises to counterbalance the chest and pushing exercises. I was going to throw these into a workout later on in the day but I had an unexpected opening in my day when I forgot I had rescheduled a client. I decided to throw in these extra shoulder exercises in a quick 30 minute session.

Exercise 1: Barbell High Pull 4 sets / 8 reps / 90 seconds rest (95lbs)

Superset

Exercise 2: Lateral Dumbbell Raise 4 sets / 12 reps / 60 seconds rest (30lbs) Exercise 3: Seated Rope Face Pull 4 sets / 12 reps / 60 seconds rest (85lbs)

Session 2:

About and hour after my first session, my client Ryan and I got together again for a workout. I decided that some deadlifts would be a good idea. Up to this point I hadn't done much hamstring work, so I thought I should fill in the gap. On top of the deadlifts, we also did some more short rest upperbody work. It's pretty cool how you can really jack up the heart rate with some simple bicep and triceps exercises if you keep the rest really short.

Exercise 1: Barbell Deadlift 5 sets / 8 - 10 reps / 90 seconds rest Set 1: 135lbs x 10 Set 2: 135lbs x 10 Set 3: 185lbs x 10 Set 4: 185lbs x 10 Set 5: 185lbs x 10

Superset 1:

Exercise 2: Tricep Pushdowns 4 sets / 12 reps / no rest (115lbs) Exercise 3: Ez Curl Bicep Curl 4 sets / 12 reps / no rest (75lbs)

Superset 2

Exercise 4: Single Arm Overhead Tricep Extension (Cable) 3 sets / 12 reps per side / no rest (45lbs) Exercise 5: Alternating Dumbbell Bicep Curl 3 sets / 12 reps per side / no rest (35lbs)

Session 3:

As I mentioned yesterday, tonight I had my conditioning group. I was on the fence as to whether or not I would join them. I had done quite a bit of work already earlier in the day, so I wasn't sure if I needed to. As we got started I was pretty resigned to not joining in, but I had one extra guy show up at the last minute. Because our session required pairs, I joined in to round out our numbers.

Exercise 1: Partner Back Squats (135lbs) - 50 reps in as few attempts as possible Attempt 1: 30 reps - Rest period = time it took for my partner to do their attempt Attempt 2: 20 reps

Superset: Partners Alternated Exercises

Exercise 2: Chin-ups 4 sets / 10 reps / no rest (40 reps total) Exercise 3: Push-ups 4 sets / 20 reps / no rest (80 reps total)

Cardio 1:

Versa Climber: 200 feet (1:08)

Cardio 2:

Rowing Machine: 300 Metres (0:56)

By the time I got home I was pretty fired. The accumulated work over the day really added up, especially the last session. The 135lbs squats were not overly heavy, but the high reps was very tiring. After doing 30 reps in a row I felt like I had sprinted 400 metres. The cardio components by themselves would not have been crazy difficult, but the muscular fatigue left over from the strength components made things really tough.

Needless to say, I earned my calories today. When I got home I gorged myself on my this delicious chicken stew that Nicole had made the other night. My appetite has been pretty out of control lately. Oh well a good thing I get fed really well. Tomorrow, will likely have to be dialed back a little bit. A simple aerobic flush on the bike might be on the agenda.

Richard Gibney's 365 Days of Fitness: Day 329

Day 329 After the last couple workouts my body was quite tired and sore today. The good thing though, was that it was a very satisfying soreness. My muscles hurt in a way that told me they had worked hard, but nothing felt like it was injured or too tight. My shoulder were the least cranky they had been in a really long time. My lower back was fine, and my left knee which kind of talks to me everyday, felt great. This is all very positive, as I try to push through these last few weeks of the year.

Today, I defaulted to doing some basic upper body push exercises. My body was up to much else. My client Ryan joined me as we worked away on the bench press. Not a ton of variety but with enough sets, we'd get some decent work done.

Today's Workout:

Shoulder Stability: Green Tubing / 2 sets - External Shoulder Rotation: 12 per side - Internal Shoulder Rotation: 12 per side - Shoulder Extension: 15 reps

Exercise 1: Bench Press 6 sets / 6 - 8 reps / 75 seconds rest Set 1: 145lbs x 8 Set 2: 185lbs x 6 Set 3: 185lbs x 6 Set 4: 195lbs x 6 Set 5: 195lbs x 6 Set 6: 195lbs x 6

Exercise 2: Technogym Chest Press (Neutral Grip) 4 sets / 8 reps / 30 seconds rest Set 1 - Set 4: 130lbs

I decided to not push my sets too close to failure, in favor of trying ensure I got a decent amount of volume in. Plus with 60 push-ups and 30 burpees I did yesterday, it was like my chest and shoulders were completely fresh. I would have also liked to have gotten some more shoulder stability work in at the end, but I ran out of time.

Tomorrow night I have my conditioning group. I think I'll like join them again for some metabolic circuit work. If my schedule allows I might also try some Olympic lifting earlier in the day.

Richard Gibney's 365 Days of Fitness: Day 328

Day 328 My first workout of the day was another crazy 8 session (http://richardgibney.com/?p=846). A few days ago I used this protocol for some shoulder and arm work.  I was hoping to do both upper push, as in chest exercises, and upper pull, but I ran out of time. My shoulders were feeling the Olympic lifts from yesterday a little bit so I decided to focus exclusively on exercises for back.

Today's Workout:

Afternoon Session: Upper Body Pull (Crazy 8's)

Exercise 1: Chin-ups 4 sets / 8 reps / 30 seconds rest (Body Weight)

Exercise 2: Technogym Lat Pulldown 4 sets / 8 reps / 30 seconds rest (140lbs)

Exercise 3: Wide Grip Seated Row 4 sets / 8 reps / 30 seconds rest (130lbs)

Exercise 4: Reverse Cable Fly 4 sets / 8 reps / 30 seconds rest (20lbs)

A few hours after my strength session, I joined my group for a really tough metabolic circuit. The idea was to set a specific time frame and try your best to fit as much volume of work within that time frame.

Evening Session: Metabolic Circuit Complete as many round of the following circuit in 25 minutes.

• 25 Calories (Spin Bike)
• Burpees x 5
• Push-ups x 10
• Squats x 15
• Squat Jacks x 20
• Lunges x 30 (15 per side)

I missed completing 6 rounds by about 10 lunges.

This was a really tough workout. The tricky part was knowing how to pace yourself. If you went too hard on the bike, doing the exercises was more difficult and vice versa. By the time I had finished 2 rounds my quads were ready to explode. I guess the fact that I pushed my legs pretty hard yesterday didn't really help. All in all though this workout was really fun in a kind of fun in a masochistic kind of way.

Richard Gibney's 365 Days of Fitness: Day 327

Day 327 My body was feeling really good today. As I mentioned in my last post, the past couple workouts haven't been overly strenuous, so my body hasn't had to recover from as much stress lately. I decided to take advantage of the fresh muscles and do something fairly difficult today.

After hurting my back a couple weeks ago, I decided to cut back on Olympic lifting and anything that would load up my lower spine. Tonight, because I've been pain free for awhile now, I decided to get back on the lifting platform and try things out.

Today's Workout:

Exercise 1: Barbell Complex 4 sets / 4 reps each / 2 min rest (95lbs all sets) - Barbell Snatch High Pull x 4 - Barbell Power Snatch x 4 - Barbell Overhead Squats x 4 - Barbell Bent-Over Row x 4

Exercise 2: Front Squats: 4 sets / 5 reps / 3 min rest (185lbs all sets)

Superset (Alternate Exercise 3 and 4)

Exercise 3: Barbell Front Racked Walking Lunges 4 sets / 8 reps per side / no rest (95lbs) Exercise 4: Skipping Double Unders 4 sets / 50 reps / no rest

The Olympic lifting complex went without issue. I didn't move anything heavy but getting back into those movements felt pretty good. My timing was a little bit off but a some practice should fix that. The front squats went really well too. I was a little nervous squatting past 90 degrees but everything was fine.

I'm not exactly sure what tomorrow's workout will entail. My upper body should be really well rested and ready for a decent amount of work. I've gotten 3 nights in a row of great sleeps. Feeling rested makes training a lot easier. I think some cardio will likely be on the agenda as well. I've got a big cardiovascular test in the form of a charity workout coming in about a months time that I need to be ready for.

Richard Gibney's 365 Days of Fitness: Day 326

Day 326 As I've mentioned in some previous posts, Nicole is preparing for her black belt test in Kickboxing, and has been training very hard to make sure she's ready. One of the major prerequisites of the test is a significant amount of cardiovascular fitness. Nicole has been working very hard with high intensity pad work and drills with her kickboxing coach, Philip. Unfortunately, the other night at a sparring class, she threw one of her ribs out. She managed to get it back in with the help of my Chiro, Helena, but she's still in a lot of pain. So instead of doing her planned pad work and metabolic conditioning, we did some interval training on the bike tonight.

Today's Workout:

Interval Training:

Stationary Bike: 30 seconds (Level 15 / 100 rpm) 30 seconds (Level 8 / 85 rpm) x 20

This workout was reasonably hard. My original plan for us was to do 30 sets of 30 seconds but after 20 sets I felt like getting off the bike. Unfortunately, the muscles around Nicole's ribs were still very sore and started to bother her a bit as she started to breath heavier as we got further into the workout. She may have to wait another couple days before she gets back at things full swing.

My body is feeling pretty good after the last couple days. I think laying off the heavy stuff for a couple days and also taking a little extra time to foam roll has been beneficial. Sunday workouts tend to be a bit lighter but I think I'll make a point of pushing pretty hard tomorrow.

Richard Gibney's 365 Days of Fitness: Day 325

Day 325 Today's workout involved some pretty general upper body work, focusing on shoulders and arms. I decided to use a format I call crazy 8's. The idea is to perform 8 reps per exercise with very little rest between sets. The distinguishing variable is that the load you use is quite a bit less than you're normal 8 rep max for each exercise. The main benefit of this training protocol comes from the fatigue accumulated from the high volume of work and the short rest periods. Another benefit, although less significant is the metabolic effect. The short rest periods keep the heart rate high, creating a high calorie demand on top of the muscular fatigue.

Today's Workout:

A1. Barbell Overhead Press: 4 sets / 8 reps / no rest (95lbs) A2. Barbell Bicep Curl: 4 sets / 8 reps / no rest (70lbs)

B1. Tricep Pushdowns: 4 sets / 8 reps / no rest (130lbs) B2. Dumbbell Bicep Curls: 4 sets / 8 reps / no rest (35lbs)

C1. Lateral Dumbbell Raise: 4 sets / 8 reps / 30 seconds rest (25lbs)

D1. Reverse Cable Fly: 4 sets / 8 reps / 30 seconds rest (20lbs)

E1. Single Arm Cable Tricep Extension: 4 sets / 8 reps per arm / 1 arm rests while the other is working (30lbs)

F1. Reverse Cable Curl: 4 sets / 8 reps / 30 seconds rest (80lbs)

This protocol won't exactly make me Hercules but it certainly gets a lot of work done in a short period of time. My goal this year wasn't specifically to pack on a bunch of muscle but I was hoping to gain some muscle mass as well as strength. Over the course of this year I've managed to lean out quite a bit and get stronger but any gains in muscle haven't been as significant as I had hoped. With that in mind, I think I'm going to try and throw in a little more hypertrophy work (muscle gain) from now until the end of the year. I think I might also enjoy a little more food here and there.

Richard Gibney's 365 Days of Fitness: Day 324

Day 324 I felt a lot better today than I did yesterday. I still had a terrible sleep but my stomach was much better. Sleep has never come very easily for me, but for some reason lately, getting to sleep at night has been extra difficult. Perhaps it's due to the change in season and less light being around. I know people tend to feel sleepier during the winter months but seeing less light during the day can interfere with our circadian rhythms and as a result disrupt regular sleep patterns. I'm not sure if this is why my sleep has been so crappy lately, but it's worth considering. So today I made a point of getting outside and seeing the sun. We'll see if I sleep any better tonight.

For my workout tonight I decided to do some quick but intense cardio on the versa climber. I hate that machine, but for getting a quick really hard workout, few pieces of equipment are as effective.

Today's Workout:

Versa Climber: 100 feet x 10 sets / 30 seconds rest between sets

Skipping Double Unders 4 sets / 50 reps / 30 seconds rest

As expected the Versa Climber kicked my butt. It's just such an unnatural movement that it's tough to get into any sort of rhythm. I had a little extra time and energy so I did some double unders as well. Unlike the versa climber I'm quite efficient at skipping, so I can get a lot of work done in a short period of time. This workout took about 35 minutes from beginning to end. Not a super long workout but I still feel like I accomplished a lot.

Tomorrow, I'll throw some weights around. If I can get a good nights sleep tonight, I might throw in some sprints as well. We'll see if getting out in the sun today was any help. I'd really like to wake up tomorrow morning and not feel like it's the middle of the night.

Richard Gibney's 365 Days of Fitness: Day 323

Day 323 Today didn't start out too well. I woke up feeling exhausted. I didn't sleep well and had absolutely no energy. I went to work for my first client at 7:00 this morning. Usually after being up for a bit I feel pretty awake, but by the time 8:00 rolled around I was feeling more tired and my stomach was starting to bother me. I stuck around work for a little bit longer then decided to go home and lie down. I ended sleeping for about 3 hrs. When I woke up I wasn't feeling much better. I was a little worried that this was really going to get in the way of my workout today, but after a little bit of some pink liquid and some more rest I started to feel much better.

I thought about waiting until later in the evening to do my workout, but I decided to get something in earlier in case I started to feel yucky again. My 3:00 clients, Shelagh and Christine were nice enough to let me join them for some upper body work.

Today's Workout:

Upper Body Push Tri-Set:

A1. Landmine Chest Press: 10 reps per side / no rest (55lbs) A2. Keiser Bench Press: 6 - 8 reps / no rest (135lbs) A3. Deficit Push-ups: Max Reps / 90 seconds rest (Body Weight)

Upper Body Pull Tri-Set:

B1. Chin-ups: 10 reps / no rest (Body Weight) B2. Landmine Single Arm Row: 10 reps per side (45lbs) B3. TRX Inverted Row: Max Reps / 90 seconds rest (Fully Inverted)

Rotary Focus:

C1.Landmine Barbell Twist: 3 sets / 30 reps (15 reps per side) / 60 seconds rest (45lbs)

It's amazing how exercise can make you feel better. Once the heart gets working and the blood starts moving it seems like whatever sort of malaise you are suffering just goes away. It did take me a little bit to get going but after a few minutes I felt fine. My stomach was still a bit off but my energy levels were great.

About an hour after the workout I started to feel really tired again. Hopefully tonight I can get a better sleep and feel better tomorrow. Fortunately I have a later start tomorrow. I'm far too close to my goal to let something get in my way. If have to do push-ups beside a bucket to finish my goal, then that's what I'll do.