TPOs workout log

Hi all, thought I'd actually join up and post my workouts rather than just reading the forum everyday! I was lent a copy of the book by an instructor at my gym after talking about BW exercises, tried some of the FSPs - got thoroughly whipped and came back for more! Quick intro - am male, 32, 6 foot, weight is around 13.5-14 stone which is 188lb+ or about 85-88kg for the rest of you!

Have only really been working out regularly the past 2 years now I'm in a job where I can get to the gym pretty much every day, moved between different bodybuilding routines and BW stuff but recently been getting more into Ross Enamait 'functional' training.

I know most of the advice is to scale down the WODs and just use those, but I'm not really at the level where I can scale them down easily, so am working on building the base first...so took one of slizzardman's recommendations (thank you sir) and built up the following:

4 day split:

Each Day start with the shoulder warmup from Ido and the FSPs:

Handstand

Frog Planche

Reverse Pushup Hold (circuit these 3 for 3x10 secs total (3x1 for the planche, I just can't balance that yet)

Front Tuck Lever

German Hang

L-Sit tucked (circuit these 3 for 3x5 for the FL and GH, 3x10 for the L-Sit)

Monday: Vertical Push/Pull & Core (higher reps):

Superset1 Dips & Pull-ups 4x10 (various hand positions, the pullups usually take 2 goes)

Superset2 Pike Press & HLL (to about waist height) 3x10

3x10 HS to finish, kicking off the wall after 10 and seeing how long I stay upright, about 2-3secs

Tuesday: Horizontal Push/Pull & Legs (lower reps):

Superset1 One-arm Pushups & Rows 4x5 (both using the bar on a smith machine, for OAPs the bar is at knee height, for Rows bar is at waist height and feet on Swissball)

Superset2 Assisted SLS & Pushups 3x5 (SLS with hand on support and Pushups are on two soft rubbery med ball things)

Wednesday is some form of cardio, either sprints, cycling to work, punchbag etc.

Thursday: Vertical Push/Pull & Core (lower reps):

same as Day 1 but weighted for Superset1 and 4x5 reps and HSPU with low ROM for Superset2

Friday: Horizontal Push/Pull & Legs (higher reps):

same as Day 2 but Clap Pushups for Superset1, and I've not worked out how to make Superset2 easier yet! Maybe weighted BW squats and Knee Tucks (jumping high) and Pushups with both hands on a solid med ball.

Obviously any thoughts/suggestions would be appreciated, I tend to always use supersets as a way of making sure I can workout in about 40 mins tops to fit into my lunchhour!

-TPO.

Right, time for an update now I've done my first week on the routine - I've generally managed to handle the reps I'd planned on but boy is it hard work! Loving the strange looks in the gym, and found one chap down the gym who did a 20 sec tuck planche and 20 sec freestanding hand stand before telling me that he'd never had a gym back home so always did BW exercises! And an instructor who pulled off russian dancing SLS I was very pleased yesterday to do SLS without holding on to anything.

I'm up to a 38 sec max L-sit (tuck) and 20 secs handstand, and have found my handstand stability has increased nicely, but my frog planche is awful, I can barely get my feet off the ground!

Questions if I may:

1) In the L-sit, my arms should be completely locked straight? Does it matter if the elbows are rotated in or forwards? I want to be pushing my shoulders down hard?

2) In the handstand, I'm right in thinking that I should be pushing myself away from the ground as much as possible? I need to look at the photos in the book again to check how my arms should move when doing HePUs - in which my ROM is teeny tiny

3) My hands are getting savaged during the skin the cat movement into German Hang, guys at the gym said I should wear gloves but I'm thinking they'll toughen up?

Looking forward to next week's training!

-TPO.

Just to cover the Friday workout, I only did the FSPs and the first super set as it was Diwali (my wife is indian) and I had to get home. Due to various bits in use I did:

Clap Pushups with feet on bench 2x10

Tricep Pushups with feet on bench 2x10

supersetted with standing cable rows.

Today my wife wanted to get to the gym so I did Monday's workout earlier which was pretty draining as that's 3 days in a row! I had a sore throat when I got up but that seems to have gone now, nice rest tomorrow with the family methinks.

-TPO.

tpo said:

Questions if I may:

1) In the L-sit, my arms should be completely locked straight? Does it matter if the elbows are rotated in or forwards? I want to be pushing my shoulders down hard?

2) In the handstand, I'm right in thinking that I should be pushing myself away from the ground as much as possible? I need to look at the photos in the book again to check how my arms should move when doing HePUs - in which my ROM is teeny tiny

3) My hands are getting savaged during the skin the cat movement into German Hang, guys at the gym said I should wear gloves but I'm thinking they'll toughen up?

Looking forward to next week's training!

-TPO.

Always locked arms, for any straight arm position. You'll find that when you push down as hard as you can, your inner elbow will go from pointing towards you, to pointing forwards. I'm quite certain that you should always push down hard. Not only from a muscular tension perspective, but also because it allows the shoulder girdle to be in its proper position. You don't want your scapulas depressed when doing handstands (not that it's fully possible anyways).

Push down hard.

Perfect, thanks RandomHavoc I'm finding it difficult keeping my arms straight in the tucked FL and the German Hang but working on it.

Felt a bit battered today after doing a spin class yesterday then having to work late :S but got my second weeks 'day 3' in. I'm slowly needing less of a jump to get into the tucked FL, and twice now have gone straight from that into the German Hang - which I can also hold a bit better now. The handstands are still ok and am making sure I push into the floor hard.

Pushing on the L-sits is helping too, I see what Randomhavoc meant about the elbows turning forward when pushing!

Second week completed!

Still finding the frog planche a complete mare at the moment, just can't get the balance sorted! Tiny bits of progress elsewhere on the FSPs though.

Need to work out a quick way of posting the sets/reps done on here to keep track, today was higher reps horizontal day, I did:

2 x 10 clap pushups and 2 x 10 PPPUs with feet on bench supersetted with:

4 x 10/10/8/7 Rows under the smith machine

3 x 10 Pushups holding medicine ball handles superset with:

3 x 10 squats holding 20kg plate

Just a quick post on how I've been feeling:

- my shoulder was sore after the clap pushups so think in future I'll do those after the PPPUs in order to warm up better.

- I had a sore neck and headache most of yesterday evening which I think is due to doing pullups, I usually seem to get tension after doing those for some reason. Also not huge amounts of sleep but had a good rest last night and all better. I'll work more on the foam roller after a workout to remove knots.

- I will probably change to lunges instead of weighted squats for the higher-rep work, my quads are pretty big as it is so would be better doing more hamstring work. Especially after reading more of the links of this forum to why sitting is bad for you, as I have a standard desk job!

One thing I've noticed is just how interested people are when they see you doing handstands or hanging off the Smith Machine in the gym!

-TPO.

Another couple of workouts done, am slowly seeing improvements in my balance doing the frog planche, but only slightly. I can do all three tuck FLs straight into the German Hang, in which I've started reversing my position a little bit before dropping off the bar (i.e. I start to pull back towards the BL, not sure the right term!).

I managed to add a stability ball under my feet to the pushups on soft medicine balls on Tuesday, felt quite an accomplishment!

Worked out in my wife's gym on Saturday, had one of the staff wander over and watch me doing the FSPs, before telling me it was nice to see someone doing 'real' exercises in there! He had a set of rings at home which he was saying are the best thing ever, but he hadn't heard of the BtGB book so I directed him to the site

Changed to doing deadlifts for the higher-rep legs exercise, to work the hamstrings/posterier chain instead of the quads, feeling it today!!

4 weeks into BtGB training now, and I'm seeing the differences!

It's still only small gradual changes but the static holds are still getting a tiny bit better each time.

One problem I've picked up is a pain in my left palm, about 4 cm up from the wrist which feels like a small sore lump in the blood vessel or something? Anyone else experienced this? It's only sore when I touch it, but I'm trying to massage it to see if that clears it.

I think it's caused by pressure when doing L-Sits/dips, my hand goes over the centre/bottom of my palms instead of going straight across the palm like holding a stick (if that is clear?!)

I'll try researching it tonight but I figured the minds of this forum were the best ones to ask first!

Research suggests it's just a bruise, which I think came from the dip bars at the gym on Saturday not being padded, still hurts though and my right forearm feels strained as well which is a bit annoying!

Have to stay disciplined enough to keep the FSPs in the basic position and just increase the time, I keep moving to the next progression but I know I should stick to building up to 60 secs in the first progression before moving on!

Quick update - palm is fine now, all I did was adjust my grip on dips and it's cleared up, right forearm still sore near the elbow though.

Personal trainers in the gym now using all my exercises with their clients

Getting known as the 'guy who hangs off things'

Looking at finishing my routine after 6 weeks and working on the WODs...