Saber2 Workout Log & Comments

This is basically Weaver stick training with some alterations. any long stick from a broomhandle to rebar will work. just tie weight to the end. Even a tree branch will work.

Dont forget the big GONG and some monks to workout!

5/3/2010

This morning I was playing around in the den. Found some 18" homemade barbells I made a while back but they couldn't put a lot of weight on them because the diameter of some weights don't fit. Fortunately enough I had two 7.5lb plates that did fit. So today I was playing around with them and did some experimenting. To answer my question will this work for such excercises like dumbell rows, or shoulder presses? I would say not as efficiently or effective as I thought. However shoulder raises, this will be a great device without the need of a lot of weight. It not only targeted my shoulder but also the entire arm in general. So I will definitely be using this for shoulder days. So I was playing around with a lot of different variations to see which worked best.

Workouts (due to the above my regular session was not as long)

4x15-20s Frog Stands (The humidity is deadly today and my knees kept slipping below my elbow :x )

1x5 flag (not all the way down so I moved to standing wheel rollouts) 2x5 standing wheel rollouts)

4x6 1x2 One arm push ups (I felt like my arm was too far above my shoulder so that last set was to focus on form, mainly trying to keep my arm level with my shoulder)

Foot development (.5 mile barefoot) followed immediately by 10 burpees

Not a bad workout...glad I found new training device that didn't cost me a penny.

My future gym is almost complete. I have a few sandbags (80lb & 120lb), rings, rubber bands, anti-barbell. This September I will be aquiring a keg after my stag party. Plan to use this to supplement powerlifts.

I am enjoying running again, because going barefoot is something different and natural. Depending on the shape I get into I might try to register for the Tough Mudder which is a 7 mile run/obstacle course that seems like fun. On the note of natural, I am loving the gymnastic/bodyweight style training. granted some bodyweight excercises are supplemented with a weightvest but nonetheless the movements are natural. There is something that brings primal joy to my soul when training this way. I am sure a lot of people feel this regardless of how they lift, but I imagine the difference would be something like hunting with a rifle and hunting with a bow. Both bring the primal instinct of the hunt but one digs a little deeper.

Anyway this was a little rant for the week, so feel free to comment on that or the routine.

5/4

1x30s 3x20s Handstand assisted. The contact witht the wall is starting to be minimal support so thats good

Played around with the anti barbell again. 1x15s front raises 1x15s side raises (this excercise reminds me of a military punishment when they made you hold your rifles out in front of you)

Random TRX play, tried to lower into an iron cross, with bent arms for now.

3x5 Hanging v lifts

1x10,1x8 40lb one handed sandbag shoulder press

Practice Sandbag Snatch (75lb)

Notes to the workout: Today was unstructured and unmotivated so I am kind of bummed I didn't get to go out at it with utmost intensity. I swear I have workout A.D.D because I know in order to make progress you must persevere, but somehow I loose that drive through repetitiveness. Anyway if anybody has hints or suggestions for overcoming this even if it is "just suck it up" I want to hear it because I am sure most of you have felt this too.

Honestly, you just have to pre-plan most of your workout for each work-out. Once you do that, you've made a mission plan and you just need to carry it out!

The best thing to do, in my opinion, is to teach yourself to love the process. Know that it is long and that you will not see progress every week, even though it will be there. Learn to love this and appreciate it, because that will set you apart from everyone who finds themselves unable to make good progress.

Leave yourself some playtime, around 15% of your workout time can be unstructured. So, for example, if you work out for 60 minutes, giving yourself 8-10 minutes of that to just screw around and try something different will give you freedom without losing the planned training that is the key to your long-term success.

Thanks Slizzardman for the advice. Telling me to look appreciate the process put a new perspective. I appreciated the process as in the individual workouts but I never looked at the long hual as the process. I need to sit back and enjoy the ride 8). Anyway, what you said reminded me of this trinity. Never knew it can relate to development of the body too.

Fast + Cheap = Not Good

Good + Fast = Not Cheap

Good + Cheap = Not Fast

Fast = how quick you want the results, Good = the overall results, Cheap = how much time you spend excercising (cheap being not that much time)

5/05/2010

4x15s Tuck Front Lever (my legs were starting to move away from the full tuck so thats good)

3x5 Tuck FL Rows

3x~15s Tuck BL's (This wasn't planned on being part of the workout but I had to add something between sets)

3x10 Regular Pull ups (haven't done them in a while so these felt good)

Random Practice doing Muscle Ups. Mainly I stayed at my stall point as long as I good and then jumped to the transition as I approached failure. I am looking forward to trying them on a pullup bar when I do my run on Friday.

2x10 Suspended Pikes using the TRX strap

1x20 Pendulum swings using the straps.

Tomorrow I want to play around with the sandbag again because I saw some excercises that might be murder and came up with a few variations :twisted:

10 minutes of:

Oringinal Workout: Shoulder Press and drop then get on the ground and bench press the bag:

My Variations:

Press the sandbag immediately followed by a Burpee and repeat (more muscles involved and different strengths are being targeted)

or Turkish Get up Followed by a press and then lower the sandbag onto the other shoulder and repeat. (seems more like a flowing movement which means less chance for rest between set ups)

After that I might follow it up with some around the worlds using a kb and towel.

5/6

10 minutes of

Turskish Get-ups with press to other shoulder using 80lb sandbag.

(I lost count of reps, but I was able to go straight through with only natural rests like not being able to get up) Great excercise HR went up to 180 bpm.

2x25 each direction around the worlds using a 25lb kb and a towel.

I tried to create a tornado ball using my medicine ball without permanently losing the Med ball (No luck). I wanted to use it like a sledgehammer.

I did 2 pushups with my old man lying on my back (170lbs). I also did 1 pushup with him standing on my back. it felt good.

Actually like having an idea posted the day before so I don't have to brainstorm in the morning. Just go in and get down to business. So tomorrow I am gonna try for 10 rounds of:

50 yard sprints followed by 2 Muscle Ups(if muscle ups are not possible then 10 pull ups) followed by another 50 yard sprint to 10 burpees.

5/7

Track Day

10 rounds of:

10 burpees

50 meter Sprints

5 pullups

50 meter sprints

Time 23:58

So I planned on doing 10 pullups if I couldn't do muscle ups but I just couldn't do it effectively. So I settled with 5. I did not run barefoot because my legs got so sore from jumping I think my form would have suffered and lead to injuries. I think I will do barefoot runs when I can focus solely on the run. Suck factor of this workout was high, I am completely drained.

Mondays Plan:

Adv Frog Tucks I need to get my balance better

L Sits

One Arm Pushups

Suspended Pikes (this is an ab workout where you start in the push up position and then bring your feet in for a pike)

Power Overs

Ring Fly's

Any comments or suggestion for monday are always welcome. 'Till then have a good weekend

5/10/2010

Advance Frog Stands ~8 Sets of random times. My hand balancing was not there today so the last two sets I did 12sec on Parallettes.

5x12sec L sits

3x5 One Arm Pushups (Form was not what I would like it to have been. Next week I need to actively focus on doing the proper form rather than achieving the reps)

3x20 Suspended Pikes

3x10 Ring Fly's

No powerover's this morning but will try to finish it this evening but doing clapping pushups instead.

Notes: Today seemed like a step down. I got in did what I wanted. Normally I try to superset workouts so I am not resting. Today was not the case. Felt OK, but need to superset my workouts the remainder of the week. At the very least tomorrow I might superset each workout with a static hold (Back Levers). This might be a way to work more sets in the time frame but I understand I will be fighting fatigue and form will decline. On the other hand, if I can improve while fatigued my fresh performance should be better, or at least thats my theory.

Tomorrows Plan

Either run 2 miles

or

Shoulders and legs:

Head Stand Pushups (hold at the top of last rep)

Back Levers

One Legged Squats (need to them again)

Sand Bag High Pulls

Standing Ab Wheel Rollouts

Pendulum Swings

5/11/2010

HeSPU 4,2,3,1 (All over the place today with those) I tried to execute them nice and slowly too.

2 Wall walks (I wanted to practice a straight up and down handstand. The second attempt my hands got closer than the first. This may be something I implement in future workouts)

8 sets of 10-11s BL ( I did these in between most of my workouts. I might start doing that with all my static holds to allow for more time training them without needing more time because it felt good. A few of the sets I practiced extending my legs, that alone was an ab workout)

3x5 SL Squats w/ 25lb Med. Ball (This is a love hate relationship. I love the way I feel when doing them, I hate how sore I become afterward)

3x8 80lb Sandbag Upright Rows.

Iso-Presses for the shoulders (No sets just play)

3x5 AB wheel rollouts

3x20 Pendulums

While playing with the pendulums I found an excercise I might employ to achieve the planche. It pretty much is a pseudo planche where your feet are in the rings. You can do pushups if you would like but I just moved forward until my arms started shaking. Didn't stay there long, but it seems like it might be a really good excercise. If anybody has done something like that I want to hear what they thought of it.

Tomorrows Plan:

Tuck Back Levers

Assisted One Arm Pullups

Weighted Around the worlds

Tuck Rows? (Maybe because the other stuff might kill me first)

Hanging V lifts

Flags or Windshield Wipers

5/12/2010

Back

3x20s Tuck Levers

Followed by:

1x10 windshield Wipers (Didn't have enough room so I stopped early, I kept hitting stuff)

1x20 Vups

1x20 4 count flutter kickks

3x3 OAP

3x6s Advance Tuck Levers

2x4 15lb Around the world Pullups

1x4 BW Around the world (I didn't feel like I was going all the way down on the weighted so I wanted to do bodyweight to make sure)

2.5 mile barefoot run. The last .25 I had to walk because my feet started to hurt, and the .25 mile before that was on incline of 10%. Now to shower and scrub the hell out of my feet. (I really do enjoy running when I am not going for time, it is relaxing and calming. However I am a long ways away from my old 13-14 minute two mile)

5/13

Rest day

My feet and calves are killing me so I am taking it easy. So I might just work on stretching

Depending how I am tomorrow I might go for a long slow run. I need to incorporate runs on a more routine base. One idea is 3 days a week (one long slow run, one interval day, and one Continuous High intensity day)

5/14

SLD- Slow Long Distance Run ~3.5 miles 33:34

20 pullups

10 pushups

5 Hanging Leg Lifts

Good workout. My feet were kind of sore by the end. I wore shoes but tried to practice forefoot to midfoot landing. I am not sure if I succeeded or not. So on my interval days I might do the barefoot running, since it is not long distance maybe my feet will be more inclined to adapt that way rather than by mileage. I don't know what it is about running, I hate thinking about it but when I am done there is this joy from it. Am I happy because its over, or is there something more primal other than the endorphins that make me feel this way?

They key is all in falling forwards! lead forward more aggressively. You'll run faster, but you'll get a feel of the forefoot strike.

You're just running on the balls of your feet, it's not complicated. Start jogging in your house barefoot. You'll figure it out quick.

Thanks guys. I know its not complicated but it is hard to tell if I am doing it right in regular shoes.

5/17

Strength & change of routine

My focus has shifted from solely trying to achieve the techniques to now include running of all sorts. So I am going back to full body routines M/W/F and am going to run on T/Th/Sat?? (Not so sure yet about Saturday's yet, if I don't then lifting will be two times a week and run three.) Again the running days will be 15-20 min high intensity, interval, and Long Distance. I figure I will get a complete workout (cardio conditioning and muscle development) in two days rather than the 5 days it was taking me. As usual I am open to suggestions and critiques to flaws in my logic.

Today

4 sets of:

Adv Frog Tucks 15s

Tuck Rows x5 (last two sets were rough)

BL 12-14s

HeSPU 4,4,3,4

2 sets

L Sits 10s

FL 15s

SLS w/ 25lb x5

Ab Wheel Rollouts x5

This felt good towards the end because I felt I had enough time of rest even though I was actively doing other exercises. I will add two more sets to the second circuit it is just today I am experimenting. I plan on doing HeSPU every single time because my sights are latched on to increasing these exponentially. However I may add a 5th exercise because I missed out on doing One arm pushups or PPP. Tuck rows will be interchanged with weitghted pullups and occassionally OAPU. Overall great workout and I feel energized....so thats a plus for now.

5/18/2010

Sprints

4 laps

Sprint longs, walk corners

Good workout, not what I wanted but I woke up this morning coughing and wheezing. Think I am coming down with something, but I don't want to stop exercising.

Orignially was thinking of doing 1/4 mile intervals but there was so much geese shit all over the track in the corners. I think the next sprint day I will try another track to do the 1/4 mile or I will up the ante to 8 laps which would be the equivalent of sprinting one mile.

5/19

Licking my wounds

Still feel like shit so I am taking it easy today and resting. :x

5/20

Running

Did 15 minutes of running at a pace I could hold for 15 minutes.

Next week I will up this to 20 minutes and the week after do 2 sets of 15 minutes. Anyway the running felt good, it always does I guess. I love it because it tests me both physically and mentally. I never have been able to feel that way with another excercise. Even when I was doing HIIT with weights it tested me physically but not mentally. I think that might be due to the time factor. I understand some people can feel this with weights ie grind out that last rep. It is only one rep in the same motion, whereas running to grind out those extra miles or extra time is variable, because you don't know what lies beyond, will I have to climb a massive hill or it will it be straight? I am not implying that mentality is not involved in going for that extra, because I know it is, its just that mentality doesn't test me as much as my running mentality. I hope I have not offended anybody in this post, if so I apologize. Anyway I look forward to hearing you opinion on this so please comment.

5/21

Today felt AMAZING!!!! Did everthing in supersets, I had no idea what I was walking into for today but it just flowed!!!!!

4x20s Advance Frog Tucks (Going to progress to a more straight arm approach on Monday and see if I can hold it) Only 2 times I had to regain balance where my toe only touched the ground for a fraction of a second...I smell PROGRESS!!!!

4x20s Front Levers - Not going to progress yet because I want to make sure I am all the way down. Need to record myself or ask for somebody to watch and critique

4x15s Adv Tuck? Back Levers (knees were perpindicular to the ground)

2x4 2x3 HeSPU The very last rep I was pushing for 4 but just couldn't

4x10s Lsits (need to incorporate these more often then not, I might pair them with the the BL so its just static at first then go to dynamics

1x5 SLS with 25lb Med Ball 3x5 SLS with 15lb Med Ball. I think my legs are still feeling yesterday but by no means am I disappointed in todays performance

3x5 BW+25lb Pullups (I plan on staying at this weight until I feel really comfortable. Because today I focused on pausing at the bottom to make the most out of it)

3x5 One arm push ups

3x5 hanging Leg lifts

Again today was one of the better workouts I have had in a while. I know I didn't get to work out on Wednesday but I think the extra days of hitting these muscles is doing me some good. I know I haven't stuck with this program long enough to judge but these are my initial thoughts. At the very least my weekly volume for strength has now trippled. I plan on keeping all the holds as well as the HeSPU and SLS. I will vary the other dynamic excercises with flys, rows, ppp, etc. This a great way for me to go into the weekend

5/22/2010

Slow Long Distance

4.23 miles, good use of forefoot to midfoot landing. My legs are now sore as hell but I feel great nonetheless.

5/24/2010

Another good workout

4x15s Adv Frog Stands (arms are straighter)

4x15s Tuck Front Levers

4x12s Not as advance tuck BL (somewhere between tuck and adv tuck)

1x11s 1x12s, 2x11s, L sits

1x5,3x4 SLS with 25 lb med ball

4x5 Body Levers, Something kept popping when I got to a leverage point, no pain but it felt like lower rib was the culprit.

1x5,1x4, 2x2 HeSPU I really need to improve on these. Coach is right this is like the bodyweight snatch.

4x5 bw rows

1x5, 1x8 PPP feet suspended in rings

2x5 Dips (Transitioned over to these because I have not trained to accomplish the muscle ups in some time. )

I thought this was an effective workout, my only complaint was not supersetting anything with the HeSPU, but I really wanted to be fresh but apparently that didn't matter. I should start throwing in some Glute work too. On a second note with all the running and squatting my legs are feeling a lot stronger. They seem to recover quickly, so no complaints yet. If anybody has any suggestions on how to improve HeSPU I am all ears.

5/25/2010

Sprints

16 100 meter sprints

I only wanted to do 10 but I just couldn't stop running. This was a good workout, and with todays humidity the sweat is pouring and it feels great. I am glad summer is around the corner.

Hey man,

Queensland took down the first game of the series in a rainy, windy game in Sydney.

That stinks I was hoping NSW would win, nothing worse then getting destroyed on home turf.

5/26/2010

Today the oomph wasnt there.

3x15s 1x?s Tuck Planche (The last set I was trying to move my knees off my elbows. Even though there was still contact of knees and elbows, the effort alone increased the difficulty. I think that will be my progression)

4x15s Tuck FL

1 set of Static Handstand trying to stay off the wall

1x3, 1x4, 1x5 HeSPU

4x15s Tuck BL (the sets were not tuck the whole way through. I tried to move to stradle and other positions to increase difficulty. My back was feeling it on these)

4x11s L sits

1x5 Standing Rollouts

1x15 Band twists

1x5 One Arm Push Ups

Again feeling out of it today. I have the second part of the CPA test on Saturday, and knowing that I have to study is sucking some of the motivation out of me.