Workout Wednesday 5/9/12

Today was the first time in a while that I really didn't feel like being in the gym.  I was tired from a restless night with my youngest child, and that lack of effective rest was having an impact on my psychological state.  However, I usually find that on those occasions where the will is weak, the reward at the end of the session is multiplied.  It wasn't to be today, I still felt pretty crap afterwards.  In this workout I compromised by keeping it short and focused on upper body and core.

Cranky session

Warm-up

15 minute brisk walk to gym.
5 minutes skipping.
Resistance band stretches - thoracic/chest/shoulder.

Chest

Superset 3 sets of 10 reps.
Dumbell bench press - 25kg dbs.
Dumbell bench flies - 5 kg dbs.

Shoulder/back

Superset 3 sets of 10 reps.
Barbell bent-over row (overhand/pronated grip) - 53kg.
Dumbell shoulder press - 15kg dbs.

Torsonator

2 sets of 10 reps each side.
15 kg plate.
Twists/squat&press/clean&press/squat&side to side press/knee kicks.

Warm-down

15 minutes brisk walk home.
Foam roller for 10 minutes.
Static stretches for 10 minutes.

At school last night I also had a session of plyometrics and a study of core lifts.  The lifts were all about technique, and barely rate a mention as 'work', but the plyometrics session was a real sweat-maker.

Plyometrics

5 minutes warm-up jog/sprints.
Illinois test x 3.
V test x 3.
Ladder runs + variations x 15.
Bean bag catches.

Once I got home from class I was feeling much better.  The plyometrics was something I really enjoyed, and I have noticed a very big improvement in my cardiovascular fitness over the last couple of months.  I'm starting to feel pretty good for a 40-year-old!

Workout Sunday 2/9/12

Conditioning day today.  It's about sweat, coupling strength and power in movement, and neural training - pretty much everything that gets done in the dojo, but without the pair-work.  The emphasis is on technique (as it always is, really).

Warm-up

15 minutes brisk walk to the gym.
5 minutes skipping.

Conditioning

9 minutes 16kg kettle bell complex - two-handed swings, ATBP, single-hand swings, one-leg deadlifts, swing&pull back.

Torsonator complex - twists, one-arm squat&press, clean&press, hand-to-hand squat&press, knee kicks.  2 sets.
Judo push-ups.  4 sets of 9 reps (standard, then left and right).
Face pulls - 2 sets of 10 reps.

Bag work.  500 punches, 200 kicks.  (Started breaking in my lovely new Everlast grappling gloves.  Mmmmm.  Punching...)

Warm-down

15 minutes brisk walk home.
10 minutes foam roller.
10 minutes static stretching.

Workout Tuesday 28/8/12

This is the 45 minute workout I did on Tuesday.  Limited time, maximum output.

Warm-up

5 minutes skipping.

Chest

Bench superset - 3 sets of 10 reps.  The flies are completed fairly quickly, with a speed of 1:0:2.  Very much inspired by what Jim Smith has to say about performing light flies between bench sets.  Have a look at his site here for more amazing information and tips for lifting and training in general - Jim Smith is a god.  1 minute rest between each set.

Dumbell bench press - 25kg
Dumbell chest flies - 5kg

Legs/core/back

Superset - 5 sets.  2 minutes rest between each set.

Barbell front squat - 68kg/65.5kg/63kg/60.5kg/55.5kg - 6 reps of each.
Push-ups - 10 reps.
Bodysquats - 10 reps.

Core/plyometrics

Torsonator complex (twists, squat & one-arm press, clean & press, knee kicks) - 2 sets of 20 reps each.

Warm-down

Foam roller for 10 minutes.
Static stretching for 10 minutes.

Workout Saturday 25/8/12

I haven't trained all week due to a great deal of time being devoted to finishing course work for my fitness studies and the flaring up again of my biceps tendinitis, which, after speaking with a friend physiotherapist, now sounds like could be more a case of tendinopathy.  I have benefited from the rest, and this last week has been the first time in 9 months I have taken such a break from my routine.  So the only way to get back on the horse was to smash myself with kettle bells and manmakers...


Warm-up

15 minutes brisk walk to gym.
Skipping for 5 minutes and some dynamic stretching.

Conditioning

Kettle bell (16kg) complex for 8 minutes - swings, one-arm swings, Around-the-body-pass (ATBP), one-leg deadlifts.
Barbell manmakers.  8 sets of 5 reps.  42.5kg.  3 minute rest between sets.  The last four sets I incorporated resistance band face-pulls in a superset.
Torsonator (with 10kg plate) complex for 2 minutes.

Warm-down

15 minutes brisk walk home.
15 minutes foam roller.
15 minutes static stretching.