Qualification

Today I received the first and most basic of my fitness qualifications - my Certificate III Fitness.  It's the first small step in what I hope will be a continuing process of education and experience.  I am loving the learning and I am loving the application.

More training.

More study.

Workout Sunday 23/9/12

This morning I had a client for personal training, and put him through a tough session of boxing drills and agility runs.  Essentially I held the pads and had a bit of a stretch, which was nice.  Then, I went off to the gym for my own punishing and exhilarating workout!

Warm-up

2 minutes skipping.
5 minutes foam roller.
3 sets of modified Y-T-W-L.

Superset

3 sets

Deadlifts -  1st set at 95.5kg, 2nd and 3rd sets at 105.5kg x 8 reps.
Judo push-ups - 3 forward, 3 left rotation, 3 right rotation.

Powerclean to front squat

3 sets

1 powerclean for set up for front squats x 8 at 55.5kg.

Torsonator

2 sets with 15kg on barbell

Twists x 20.
Lunge and press x 20.
Squat and hand-to-hand press x 20.
Clean and press x 20.
Knee strike x 20.

Warm-down

5 minutes foam roller.
15 minutes static stretch.

Workout Saturday 22/9/12

Been a tough week with work/school/family commitments, and training has suffered a little as a result.  Apart from a splendid 2 hour boxing session on Monday night at school, I haven't done any training.  A few foam roller sessions, and some static stretching on the lounge room floor, have been the extent of it.  Today it's all about the upper body and core.

Warm-up

15 minutes brisk walk to gym.
5 minutes skipping.
5 minutes foam roller.
3 sets of modified Y-T-W-L (lunge position with dumbell).

Superset

3 sets

Resistance band push-ups x 10
Eccentric chin-ups x 10

Superset

3 sets

Db bench press x 10 reps with 25 kg dumbells.
1-arm row x 10 reps with 27.5kg dbs.

Superset

3 sets

Bb bent over row x 10 reps - 43.5kg.
Db shoulder press x 8 reps with 15kg dbs.

Bag work

15 minutes punching and kicking.

Warm-down

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

Workout Sunday 16/9/12

Another simple workout.  For this one I did two core lifts, added an explosive plyometric variable and then finished up with a series of core exercises.  It's a real sore-maker, this one!

Warm-up

15 minute brisk walk to gym.
Resistance band stretches - chest/shoulders/thoracic spine.

Superset

4 sets of 8 reps.

Bench press - 70.5kg.
Deadlift - 95.5kg
Box jumps

Core

3 sets.

Hanging straight leg raises x 5 reps.
Russian twist with 10kg plate x 20 reps.
Pallof press complex (hold 30 sec, front punch x 10 reps, high punch x 10 reps each side) at 17.5kg.

Warm-down

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

Workout Saturday 15/9/12

A fairly light workout today - my first session in the gym in three days after being hit with the dreaded lurgy.  Nice and simple.

Warm-up

15 minutes brisk walk to the gym.

Powercleans

Emphasis on technique.  Warm-up with unloaded short bar - 13.5kg.  20 reps.
10 reps at 23.5kg.
10 reps at 33.5kg.
10 reps at 43.5kg.
10 reps at 53.5kg.
6 reps at 58.5kg.
5 reps at 63.5kg.

Chins and pulls

3 sets.
Eccentric body weight chin-ups.  1st & 2nd set 10 reps.  3rd set 5 reps.
Face pulls x 10 reps.

Warm-down

Foam roller 5 minutes.
15 minute brisk walk home.
Static stretching 10 minutes.

Forced Rest

Illness is a pretty average way of engaging in forced rest.  It's the first time in a year that I have been sick, and I reckon it has to do with the change in season.  Whatever.  The opportunity that is presented to me is to catch up on some movies I've been wanting to see for a while (Prometheus, Jeff Who Lives At Home & Casa De Mi Padre) and school work and study.  In the course of the latter I caught up with an old friend of mine (not personally, but certainly his website) Jim Smith, who has a terrific article on training periodization here.   Specifically, it's based around training intensity, but the same ideas apply.  It's nice to see that what he discusses here is pretty much my basic philosophy to training, that is, keep mixing it up, don't allow your body to get too used to any one particular exercise, keep working hard, keep working smart, and rest whenever you genuinely feel the need.  Note well:  'rest' doesn't necessarily mean 'lie on the couch all day doing nothing', rather, 'try doing something completely different to your regular routine'.  During periods of heavy weight lifting, throw in a few days of pure cardio.  When you're focusing more on CV fitness, add in the occasional resistance day.  And so on.  MIX IT UP!  I really like the way that Smith advises the lack of a set plan when hitting the gym.  Perhaps I'm reading it wrong, but I think that what he's talking about is take your approach to the workout in the same way that battle planners prepare for conflict, that is, make the plans, prepare for contingencies, and then on contact with the enemy forget it all and attack! 

This is exactly how I plan my workouts.  Usually I workout in the early-mid afternoon, so a couple of hours beforehand I will consider what type of work is required for my session.  Next I will think of 2-3 appropriate core lifts that are relevant and then add in a few functional techniques.  And that's pretty much it.  Once I get to the gym I'll listen to how my body is feeling, adjust my warm-up accordingly (even though my warm-up is usually pretty much the same every time, I will make the occasional modification), and then take the same philosophy to my lifts.  If I'm feeling sore or especially weak (a frequent occurrence!) I might do light conditioning instead of a volume/strength day.  Or cardio.  Or boxing.  Or plyometrics.  Or anything else.  The trick is to keep working.  Or thinking.  Or studying.  Or relaxing.  Or reading.  Or living.

Workout Sunday 9/9/12

Another little cardio session for me today.  Very basic, very sweaty.

Sunday Cardio

15 minute walk to the gym.
25 minutes HIIT on the elliptic cycle.
20 minutes running on the treadmill (4 kilometres), 5 minutes warm-down.
10 minutes stretching and foam roller.
20 minutes walk home.
10 minutes foam roller.