I'm Back Baby! ...sort of...

Well, hello again!

After over a week of being sick, some sort of summer cold, I tried my hand at working out again. I did so at our local Friskis & Svettis gym. I've had my suspicions about going so heavy in my existing routine. Working up to 3x3 reps has been kind of brutal. I have not idea if that is the culprit in the case of me being sick more often this spring but it's worth looking in to. With that to consider I decided to try something new. It spells..don't go so damned hard! And by that I mean don't go so heavy and don't go to failure ALL the time. We will see how this plays out, boy's and galls!

The Work Out:

Warm Up - 1000m row on the Concept 2, 4:38

Low Bar Back Squats: 3 x 5 - 80 kg, 2 x 8 - 60 kg

Barbell Hip Thrusters - 3 x 10 - 60 kg

Military Press - 3 x 5 - 40 kg, 2 x 8 - 30 kg

Dumbell Biceps Curl - 3 x 5 - 18 kg, 2 x 8 - 12 kg

Farmers Carry - 3 x 50 Steps w/ 40 kg Kettlebell in Each Hand

Face Pulls - 2 x 12

That is all she wrote! I can't say I was feeling it. I was not all there. But the motto was "easy does it", and for the most part I stuck to that. The Hip Thrusters was a new one for me, thank you Jeff Cavaliere at Atlean-X, and I had a hard time finding a good spot on my pelvis to rest te bar on. It was somewhat uncomfortable whatever I did. But a seriously worthwhile exercise. I just have to get it dialed in, I guess.

But what did you eat today, you might ask? Apart from a Whey Protein shake with Collagen and Creatine,  here comes the answer to that question:

Breakfast: Two boiled eggs and some ham.

Lunch: Beef liver and chorizos with mustard

Dinner: Remains to be seen...probably something carnivorous

"Courage is grace under pressure."
- Ernest Hemingway

May the Fors Be with you!

Back To Reality

Monday ... fast ...

Hello. In the middle of the Monday fast. Right now, the rain is pouring down and, fortunately, I had a workout before the dust covers opened. The rain is so good for everything that grows, which Lotta had to learn. But over the years I have made the experience that it is not enough, for us humans, to go out and stand in the rain and wait for us to grow and develop. Not even if we are on a manure stack! Of course we need sun and water, but we also need to stimulate our muscles to overcompensate. Break down - build stronger - repeat. That's why I go down to Friskis & Svettis. Which I will come to shortly. Just a small detour first. Or maybe a couple. ;-)

I have had a "deload week" with some holiday fun so the body could recover. Why then do I feel weaker and more broken in the muscles than before? It is a strange phenomenon that I experience from time to time. I think I need to rest from the workout and just get tired and more broken by it. Very odd. This time, perhaps, it had a little to do with diet and sleep. I maybe ate a little more carbohydrates than I should. Maybe took a glass of bubble more than I intended. Maybe I didn't go to sleep when I ought to have, etc., during the holidays. In fact, I don't know if I'm being honest.

My overarching goal is really to feel as good as possible. I don't know why this is so important to me. Maybe I am comfortable that way. It's easier to not have a lot of discomfort and pain, I guess. But then we add a few barrels of vanity and it immediately becomes a little more complicated. You want to look good. You want to be strong, maybe even terrifying. Frighten enemies, etc. Primal stuff is sometimes mixed into this confusing concoction. Anyway, these two forces work against each other. Well-being and vanity. To get that kind of Chris Hemsworth muscle, you have to push yourself pretty hard, right? But it leaves me with massive DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) and pains that manifest in bad mood and short temper. No pain, no gain, right? Messy, is what it is. Nor do I feel good about doing nothing. Just taking walks and doing household chores is not enough for me.

Oh well. That is my driving force in this hole thing. Trying to find a "sweetspot". Minimum dose for maximum results. I do not go to the gym to "hang out", that's for sure. There are better things to do with your time.
     Being out with the boys and climbing or playing tennis or scuba diving is obviously something completely different. That is one of the reasons why I exercise. In order to get better at all these activities and to prevent injuries, if that's even possible. Now I think I got all the "ranting" out of my system, for now.

Here comes a summary of todays workout.

As usual, two rounds of escalating the weights, call it warm up if you like, and then "Workset":

Side Lateral (8x12, 4x14, WS-3x3x16kg, 8x12kg)

Kettlebell Swings (10x24, 10x32, WS-3x10x40kg, 10x32kg)

Biceps Curl (8x18, 4x22, WS-3x3x24kg, 8x20kg)

Triceps Pushdown (8x20, 6x25, WS-3x5x32kg, 8x25kg)

Single Arm Row (8x30, 5x36, WS-3x5x40kg, 8x30kg)

This workout was made as a circle with enough rest between exercises so that the heart rate does not go up too much.

As mentioned earlier in this post, quite sore and tired during this WO. No room for weight gain, in other words. Probably I will have to pay for this in the coming day's anyway, is my guess.

"You Cannot Overestimate the Unimportance
of Practically Everything."
John Maxwell

May the Fors be with you!

Deload

Good afternoon!

A short post. It is some kind of "deload" week but when it is holiday time, nothing is quite as you imagined. It's the only thing you know for sure. My deload weeks come about every four weeks and are for active recovery.

The work outs are designed so that they mimic the work out that I would do that day but then with the format: 5 rounds of 5 repetitions. No rest anywhere during the workout, but it should not be needed as I never feel any symptoms of fatigue. Some fun and games are obviously creeping in occasionally during these weeks as well.

The purpose is to get blood flow and neuromuscular stimulation without muscle hypertrophy or otherwise tax the system significantly lactate or elsewhere. A slight breathlessness and a slight sweat is usually the most significant symptom of activity I encounter. It is perfectly suitable to stretch a little afterwards.

WO:

Face Pulls (rubber band)
Pistols
Biceps Curl (rubber band)
Diamond Push Ups
L-Pull Ups
Cross Over (rubber band)
Scull Crusher (rubber band)

If you don't 

Prioritise Your life,

Someone else

Will

May the Fors be with you!