11 October 2009 - Sledge Work

Warm-Up
-Wrist Stretches
-Neck Stretches
-Shoulder Rotations

8lb. Sledge Mace Bell Swings (L/R)
-10/10
-10/10
-10/10

8lb. Sledge Hammer Levers to the Face (L/R)
-8/8
-8/8
-8/8

8lb. Sledge Hammer Strikes
-10/10
-10/10
-10/10
-10/10
-10/10

Jedd's Killer Chain Roll-Ups (20' Tow Chain/8lb. Sledge; Both Directions)
-3 total

This sledge is an 8lber with a 36" handle. The sledge hammer strikes were full-on swings, striking a big oak stump we use for a splitting block. All strikes were done with the hands in a fixed position; the first 10 reps were done with my RH above my LH, the second set I alternated the hand positioning - LH above RH. Feet planted, deep breath, draw the hammer up, full-force strike, and control the hammer upon impact. No more than 1min rest between sets.

This was the first time I ever did mace bell like swings with the sledge. They're fun, and with the light sledge it really did a great job of warming up my shoulders.

The chain roll-ups on the sledge are just terrible. They fatigue you're lower arms faster than you could ever imagine. I felt like Popeye after the first up/down set.

Goody

7 October 2009 - Squats, Complexes, KBs

Shoulder Pre-Hab (L/R)
-Rotator Cuff Work - 5lbs
-Front/Mid/Rear Delt Work - 5lbs

Triceps/Wrist Warm-Up (L/R)
-Overhead Triceps Extensions - 45lbs
-Wrist Flexion/Extension/Adduction/Abduction - 25lbs

Neck Stretches
-All Directions

Squat Warm-Up
-BW Good-Mornings X 20
-BW Squats X 20
-Bar Good-Mornings X 20
-Bar Squats X 20
-Standing Hip/Groin stretches
-BW Lunges
-Leg Swings (L/R)
-Foam Roller - Hips/Hams/Glutes/Quads/Low-Back

Squats (Wide stance, low bar)
-135 X 8 - OUCH! Hip still hurts, so I bagged 'em.

KB Swings
-60 X 20 (BH)

Complexes (Deadlift, SL Deadlift, Hang Clean, Front Squat) - 135lbs/1 min rest btwn sets
-Singles
-Singles
-5 reps in each movement
-5 reps in each movement
-5 reps in each movement

1a. 135lb Oly Bar Biceps Curls 2 X 5, 1 X 3
1b. 135lb Bent-Over Oly Bar Rows - 3 X 15

2a. 80lb KB Swings X 20 (BH)
2b. Burpees (1 min)
2c. 80lb KB Swings X 20 (RH)
2b. Burpees (1 min)
2d. 80lb KB Swings X 20 (LH)

Bulgarian Split Squats (L/R)
-BW X 20
-BW X 20
-BW X 20

BW - 234 lbs.

The front squats were easier on my hip. I'm sure it's because the stance is much more narrow. The KB stuff had me SUCKING WIND! Honestly, I thought I was going to have to lay down after the KB swings and burpees. My grip was cooked from the everything - I wanted to hit some wrist roller, but I didn't have it in the tank. The 80lb KB put a little more strain than expected on my inner elbows (?). Nothing major, I just didn't expect it.

Goody

5/6 October 2009 - Grippers and Stretching

Through out the day I hit countless reps with my CoC #2.5, both LH and RH. TNS reps, wide set reps, MMS reps, dime holds, the whole bit. Tons of reps. Both hands were pretty well toasted. I got home and tried to hit some more gripper work; here's how it went:

Gripper Warm-Up
-Stress ball
-Wrist stretches
-Light Forearm Massage

RH
-Eaton's 170lb. CoC #3.5 X MISS
-Older BBE X MISS
-CoC #3 X 1
-CoC #3 X 1
-CoC #3 X 1
-Older BBE X 3 BFN

LH
-CoC #3 X 5 BFN
-CoC #3 X 5 BFN
-CoC #3 X 3 BFN

I didn't have a whole lot in the tank when I got home! HAHA! No worries. I'm still weaker than I was a few months ago, but it'll come back. At the very least, I'm playing with the bigger grippers again and I'm really happy about it. I've never closed my CoC #3 with my LH, so that will be huge for me to knock that gripper down with my LH. I hit so much volume over the last day or two the skin on my hands is really sore. I'll be hitting my extensors today with some forearm massage and stretching tonight. I've noticed how much slower my lower arms are recovering. Sweet.

The stretching has been going great. My hips are feeling better, but tonight will be the big test. I'm going hit some light squats, KB work, and more stretching tonight. We'll see how the hip is progressing later.

Goody

3 October 2009 - Quick Deadlifts

I was jammed this Saturday and only had time for some quick deadlifts. I wanted to hit some KB work, but didn't have enough time. I'm happy I got the pulls in at the very least.

Shoulder Pre-Hab (L/R)
-Rotator Cuff Work - 5lbs
-Front/Mid/Rear Delt Work - 5lbs

Triceps/Wrist Warm-Up (L/R)
-Overhead Triceps Extensions - 45lbs
-Wrist Flexion/Extension/Adduction/Abduction - 25lbs

Neck Stretches
-All Directions

Deadlift Warm-Up
-BW Good-Mornings X 20
-BW Squats X 20
-Bar Good-Mornings X 20
-Bar Squats X 20
-Standing Hip/Groin stretches
-BW Lunges
-Leg Swings (L/R)

Deadlifts (Conventional)
-Bar X 10
-135 X 5
-185 X 5
-225 X 5
-275 X 5
-315 X 5
-365 X 5
-405 X 3

I hit some foam roller for my back/hamstrings btwn the 315-365 set and btwn the 365-405 set. I literally stripped the bar and ran out. Bummer...I felt like I had a lot more in the tank for the KB work. Next time I guess.

Stretching and grippers tonight.

BW - 234lbs.

Goody

1 October 2009 - Active Rest and Stretching

Lower Arm Active Rest
My hands and forearms are sore from my first gripper workout in a few weeks. I woke up yesterday feeling good...I've gotten progressively more sore, but that's to be expected. No major aches and pains, so I'm happy as hell! I decided to keep on it and do some active rest with hand/forearm massage, contrast baths, and stretches last night. I used the roller-ball massager on my forearms; I used a lacrosse ball against the wall to try and target my elbow tendons; really stretched out my wrists, triceps, and biceps; hit some easy stress ball work; some finger dexterity work; and some nice contrast baths. My lower arms felt like a million bucks last night.

Stretches
After the hand/forearm active rest I toned it way down for some relaxed stretches for my hips, groin, lower back, hams, and quads. I started the stretching with some ankle mobility work (no resistance - just some concentrated stretching and rotations). I remembered I have a perfect purple rehab band for ankle work after I finished up. Sweet. Next time I guess. I haven't done any ankle mobility work since high school and it felt great! After the ankle mobility work I went into deep stretching for the quads, hamstrings, and glutes. My quads and glutes feel great, but my hamstrings are still super tight. I then moved into some hip and lower back movements - I can tell already, this is going to be a slow process for me. My hips are so dang locked up, it's crazy. I feel them loosen up a bit, but nothing really noticeable yet. I'm not expecting miracles overnight here, but it's going to take longer than expected.

Once my hips had all they were going to take, I decided to finish up with some back bridges. I've been thinking about these since I read one of Jedd's last workout posts in his log Fire Walk With Me. My wrists, hips, glutes, and lower back were loose so I figured what the heck. I got in position and WHOOP...I pushed right up. It felt pretty good! It might have looked absolutely hideous, but it felt like a nice bridge! HAHA! I did several bridges, working harder each time to push through with my hips and squeeze my glutes to really arch out on top - and then hold. After a few nice bridges, I decided to try to get a few neck bridges. I was on a few blankets on my hardwood floor so it wasn't really pleasant. I was able to bridge up on my head, but I couldn't hold it for long. More padding and more neck work and this will come back too.

Deadlifts and KBs tonight. It should be fun.

Goody

30 September 2009 - Good News and Bad News

The Good News: I was able to get a gripper workout in yesterday. My first real gripper workout since I hurt my left hand, 13 September. I've been doing TNS work with my CoC #2.5 and I hit some choker work with my CoC #3, Eaton's CoC #3.5, and my BBEs. Getting the damn grippers into the choker was no easy task - I tried to no-set them as much as possible and then crush the gripper the rest of the way against my thigh. Once fully crushed, I'd try to get the washer over the spring.

I got really warmed up with a stress ball, wrist stretches, and some light forearm massage. Once I felt like I had the blood flowing, I set and closed my CoC #2 with ease. No pain to speak of in my LH, so here's how the rest went down:

RH
CoC #2.5 X 1
CoC #3 X 1
Eaton's 170lb. CoC #3.5 X 1 (not a great set, but I got it shut)
Eaton's 170lb. CoC #3.5 X Miss (~1/16" out)
Eaton's 170lb. CoC #3.5 X Miss (~1/16" out)
Eaton's 170lb. CoC #3.5 X Miss (~1/16" out)
Older BBE X Miss (~1/8" out)

LH
CoC #2 X 1
CoC #2.5 X 1
CoC #3 X Miss (by a lot)
CoC #2.5 X 1
CoC #2 X 1

I didn't push my LH - honestly, I could have had a better attempt on my CoC #3, but I just pussed out on it. I guess I didn't want to be deflated by another problem or re-injure myself. My hands and forearms felt OK after the workout, no major pains, no major soreness. I have to keep reminding myself to take it easy with the grippers, now that I have a workout under my belt, I woke up this morning and wanted to crush the grippers like no body's business again. I just want to gain back what I lost, but it will come in due time, I guess.

The Bad News: I tweaked my should last week squatting. First workout in 3-4 months and I woke up with some soreness in my right shoulder. I pushed through it in my bench workout too. Ehh...I figured it just didn't want to be pulled way back under the bar in a low-back squat. I'm sure that's what it is, just a minor strain, but it stopped me in my tracks for last night's bench workout. I got warmed up, hit one set with just the bar, hit my next set with 135lbs and it hurt like a mo-fo. WTF? My set-up was good, my elbow correction was good, my shoulder just hurt. I tried different hand positioning, I tried coming out of the arch and laying flat to take some rotational strain off the shoulders, nothing worked. I did two meek sets with 135lbs and threw in the towel. At this point, disappointing as it is, I figured it best not to push my luck. Here are the details:

Shoulder Pre-Hab (L/R)
-Rotator Cuff Work - 5lbs
-Front/Mid/Rear Delt Work - 5lbs

Triceps/Wrist Warm-Up (L/R)
-Overhead Triceps Extensions - 45lbs
-Wrist Flexion/Extension/Adduction/Abduction - 20lbs

Neck Stretches
-All Directions

Flat Bench
-Bar X 15
-135 X 5 (Arched)
-135 X 5 (No arch)

1-Arm RT Cable Medial and Lateral Pulls (L/R)
-30 X 10
-30 X 10
-30 X 10

1-Arm RT Triceps Push-Downs (L/R)
-80 X 10
-80 X 8
-80 X 8
-80 X 8

1-Arm RT Biceps Cable Curls (L/R)
-100 X 5
-80 X 10
-80 X 10
-80 X 10

1-Arm RT Posterior Flies (L/R)
-40 X 10
-40 X 10
-40 X 10
-40 X 10

Thick-Bar Front Lever Work [(L/R) 47" - 13lbs]
-Bar X 5
-Bar X 5
-Bar X 5

Thick-Bar Weaver Style Lever Work [(L/R) 47" - 13lbs]
-Bar X 10
-Bar X 10
-Bar X 10

Thick-Bar Wrist Curls/Reverse Wrist Curls Super-Sets
-63 X 12/8
-63 X 10/5
-63 X 10/5
-63 X 10/5

Shoulder tweakage aside, this ended up being a pretty good lower-arm workout day. I hit the grippers about an hour before I went to the gym. Grippers were a success today, lots or RT and wrist work...not too shabby. My forearms, hands, and wrists are sore, but they feel great today.

On a separate note, I got 30+ minutes of solid stretching in yesterday morning. Lots of dynamic stretches and lots of traditional static stretches for my hips, groin, and lower back. I've noticed some minor soreness as a result of the stretching, but I'm hoping this too will pass and my increased mobility in the future will be worth the minor soreness. I'm considering an inversion table...any recommendations?

BW - 233lbs.

Goody

28 September 2009 - Squats

...more like lack thereof. I'm pretty sure I'm falling apart. My overall flexibility and joint mobility have been down for years now. I guess I've never really taken it as a major concern. Well, that's yet another endeavour for my "Get Healthy(er), Stay Healthy(er)" mentality.

For my second squat workout in the last 3-4 months I warmed up per usual. Everything felt normal, but I had some stiffness in the front of my right hip. I figured a little extra warm-up would do the trick. This was not the case. 135lbs on the bar and I could feel some serious tension in the front of my right hip trying to come out of the hole. No bueno. I did a few sets to see if it would loosen up, but it didn't. Here's how it all went down:

Shoulder Pre-Hab (L/R)
-Rotator Cuff Work - 5lbs
-Front/Mid/Rear Delt Work - 5lbs

Triceps/Wrist Warm-Up (L/R)
-Overhead Triceps Extensions - 45lbs
-Wrist Flexion/Extension/Adduction/Abduction - 20lbs

Neck Stretches
-All Directions

Squat Warm-Up 1
-BW Good-Mornings X 20
-BW Squats X 20
-Bar Good-Mornings X 20
-Bar Squats X 20

Squat Warm-Up 2
-Standing Hip/Groin stretches
-BW Lunges
-Leg Swings (L/R)

Squats
-135 X 10 (ouch)
-135 X 10 (ouch)
-135 X 10 (ouch)

Walking Lunges
-BW X 25
-BW X 25
-BW X 25

Foam Roller
-Hamstrings
-Quads
-Hips

Yoga-like Stretching
-35 minutes (focusing on the hips/groin/low back/hamstrings)

I felt better after the foam roller and stretching, but I can still feel the stiffness in the front of my right hip. I need to improve my joint mobility ASAP. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

BW - 232lbs.

Goody