Captain's Log: 4.17.13 Training Update and the Mad House

Wednesday

Front Squat
355 x 1

Forgot what my back off sets were.

Thursday

Overhead Press
up to 185 x 2 sets of 1

Friday

Back Squat
415 x 1

Dead Lift
525 x 1

425 x 3 sets of 3

Saturday

Bench- all reps paused
275 x 3 sets of 1
265 x 4 sets of 1
255 x 5 sets of 1
245 x 6 sets of 1
235 x 7 sets of 1
225 x 8 sets of 1

Monday

Squat
up to 435 x 1
365 x 5,5
315 x 8,8

Tuesday

Bench Press
up to 295 x 1
225 x 5 sets of 6

I hope everyone took some time to reflect on how precious life is after the events of the last few days.  From the bombings in Boston to earthquakes in Pakistan and Iran and civil unrest in Venezuela we just never know when our number is going to be called.  The best we can do is to live a good life and try to make others happy.

“I believe that if, at the end of it all, according to our abilities, we have done something to make others a little happier, and something to make ourselves a little happier, that is about the best we can do. To make others less happy is a crime. To make ourselves unhappy is where all crime starts. We must try to contribute joy to the world. That is true no matter what our problems, our health, our circumstances. We must try.” 
― Roger Ebert

What I Felt Watching the Final Four

I don't normally watch basketball.  I'm awful at the sport so it never really held my interest and the few times I've tried watching the NBA it felt more like professional wrestling.  There are some great athletes but it feels like who wins has already been decided.  In other words it's entertainment, not sport.

But the NCAA tournament is a little different.  I've never filled out a bracket but I like the way that networks pop in and out of games.  Plays perfectly into the fact that I get bored easy watching the game and I'll really only pay attention if there is something dramatic happening.

Well this past weekend was one of those rare occasions that I saw the Final Four games in their entirety.  Seeing as I had no horse in the race I didn't care who won or lost.  But when the games were over I felt a pain that I hadn't in years. When the cameras were aimed at a kid that knew he was playing his last meaningful game of basketball, or his last game of basketball with the guys he's struggled with all season, my heart went out to them.

One of the few times that I openly cried in my adult life was after my last football game at Carroll University. I remember the game being over (we lost) and I was able to hold it in with clenched fists and jaw as our coach gave us the same old post-game speech.  I don't remember what he said but it didn't matter.

My mom was always there after the games and this time as soon as I gave her a hug it was Niagara Falls.

Niagara Falls Frankie Angel

I cried long, I cried hard, and in a weird way I wanted to stay there forever.  I didn't want to let go because I knew when I let go and went and shook hands with my teammates I'd just have to do it again.  And that's what really matters.

We played at a small division three school.  At the time we were a middle of the road team in a lower tier conference.  But none of that made any difference in how we felt about it.  We poured our blood and sweat into that team.  We made friendships that will last forever because they were formed over a shared struggle.  We endured brutal practices and workouts.  We celebrated our wins and cursed our losses, both usually involved adult beverages of some sort.  I will never compare sport to war but we became a band of brothers.  Civilians, but brother nonetheless.

Even though seeing those kids go through what I went through and what countless other athletes go through every year was bittersweet to watch, I didn't feel bad for them.  Hopefully they are able to take away what I took away from athletics.  That's a lifetime's worth of life lessons and a group of friends to share that lifetime with. And to all the men that I had the good fortune to play with, thank you.

Captain's Log: 4.10.13

Monday

Squat (all low bar)
225 x 5
315 x 4
365 x 3
415 x 2
435 x 1

365 x 8
315 x 10
275 x 12

Tuesday

Bench
185 x 5
225 x 4
245 x 3
265 x 2
285 x 1

225 x 4 sets of 6

Captain's Log: 4.2.13

Bench Press
bar x 20, 20
135 x 10, 8
185 x 5
225 x 4
245 x 3
265 x 2
285 x 1

225 x 12, 6
185 x 16, 8

Single Arm Row
120 x 10, 10, 8, 8, 6

Blast Strap Dips
3 sets of 10

Very good session.  285 felt super smooth.  Not easy, but definitely not a struggle.  Even my rep work is getting stronger.  225 for 12 is close to a PR at that weight.  I think 13 may have been my best ever.  In any case I'm getting stronger aaaannnd bigger.  My wife, Amy, even commented on it.  It's the little things that make it worth it.

Rules For Training, Part II

Picking up where we left off here are the rest of my rules for training.

4. STICK TO THE BASICS

There is a reason that fitness fads come and go and some things remain constant.  That is because fads are usually money making schemes that offer little value and the tried and true techniques get results.

Unfortunately, sexy sells.  And it’s usually the complex fads that are appealing to the untrained eye.  Most people are willing to jump from fad to fad looking for the quick fix and impossibly fast results that they end up getting nowhere.

People also overestimate their commitment to a fitness routine.  I’d be willing to bet that more people gave up at some point on all the at-home fitness programs like P90X and Insanity than actually finished them.  Same thing goes for most fitness equipment sold in the US.  More of it probably acts as a clothes hanger or shelf than as a means of self improvement. 

But the basics, those are the rocks that all fitness is built on.  Here are a few of the basics that I’m talking about:

•  Lifting heavy weights using compound exercises
• Using simple and progressive set, rep, and intensity schemes
•  Slow, steady progress planned out in months and years, not weeks
• Sprinting, jumping, and climbing

I’m all for variety.  Boredom can be as much of a motivation killer as too much variety and program jumping.  But staying within the basic aspects of programming will yield much better gains than doing the latest fad and seeing nothing to show for it.

And for me personally, results are the best motivator out there.

5. BE CONSISTENT

I wrote a multi-part article a few years back on keys to progress.  Consistency was A-Plus Number 1 Good Time Progress Key!  Read it here.

Keys ToProgress: Consistency

Seriously, without consistency the only results you can expect are the wrong ones.  But consistency goes beyond how many times you work out in a week.  You have to be consistent in your nutrition, consistent in your recovery, and consistent in your overall effort.  This brings me to my final Rule for Training.

6. PUSH YOURSELF

I could lead this off with any of the thousands of motivational quotes about working hard.  While there are some good ones the simple fact remains that without struggle nothing is gained.

We live in a society where we want the things we want when we want them.  And most times if we don’t get them at that instant it’s not worth it to continue.  We want results but we don’t want to change.  We buy an untold number of products that are good for nothing and hope upon hope that it’s the magic bullet.  We so desperately want the pill that allows us to eat anything and everything and still lose weight.  We want the exercise machine that we only have to use 20 minutes a day, three times per week and we’ll be lean and muscular like the models in the commercial.

Losing fat, building muscle, and achieving the body and level of performance you are after don’t play that game.  Those things come with hard ass work.  They come with setbacks and struggle.  They come with the thoughts of giving up and self doubt.  They come with overcoming those thoughts and doing the things that are necessary even though you would rather do literally anything else.  They come with building the habits that get you closer what you’re after day in and day out.

Without pushing yourself progress won’t happen.  You could perfectly execute the above five rules but without struggle, without pushing yourself, you’ll be stuck in place.

Before you attempt any type of change you must account for the fact that it is going to be harder than you think.  There will be setbacks and times when it all seems impossible.  Embrace the struggle.  Embrace the pain of change.  It’s the struggle that makes change so rewarding.  

Only those that have done something can have the satisfaction of being done.

Captain's Log: April Fail's Day

Totally failed on coming up with an April Fool's Day post.  Oh well.  Always next year.




Here's my boring training from today

Hi Bar Squat
225 x 5
315 x 4
365 x 3
415 x 2
445 x 1

Low Bar Squat
335 x 2, 3, 5, 2, 3, 5, 2, 3, 5

Sand Bag Walking Lunge
3 sets of 20 steps

Squats are feeling great.  I thought there was going to be a bit of a relearning curve with the low bar but it's gone smooth as silk so far.  Progress, progress, progress.