And so starts another semester

I'm sorry, I keep listening to that little guy that sits on my shoulder saying - Eh, do it later. Turns out later usually doesn't come around. Finally though here I am.... I know you're all so excited.

The new semester started about a month ago, and at first I had grand plans. I was going to build a new lifting program, run for miles, oly lift, conquer the world, etc etc. Instead I find myself falling asleep at 6pm on a Sat night, and trying to be cake boss all day Sunday. For the record, fondant isn't as easy to play with as Buddy makes it seem.

Not to say I've done nothing lately, it just hasn't been organized, or lifting. I went to a Judo class last week. Oh man, so fun. It was mostly ground work in class, but even with that there was a lot that I didn't know. And then we rolled. I haven't rolled with Judo guys before. It was ridiculous. I kept getting swept with things I had never seen before. Or mini take downs from the knees? That's possible? Rolling with the Judo white belts made me want their skills. I think it might be worth the hour drive to go to a class a week. It'll get me more comfortable on my feet, the guys were really nice, and they have a consistent girl. It'll be good to get used to a female's center of gravity.

On top of that, my mom has signed us up for a body transformation challenge at her gym. I've been on her about doing things and getting in shape, and this is her answer. I told her as long and she'll do it, I'll do it. I think I've kinda let myself get to a point where I probably need the kick in the ass too. We did body comp stuff last week and lets just say, I think I've gotten too old to take 2 months of the summer off of eating well and working out. I've got about 130lbs of lean muscle mass which means the other 40lbs of me is fat. Taking the boobs and curve thing into consideration, I should be about 145-155. Which means I've got about 30lbs to lose to hit ideal. Can I lose 30lbs in 2.5 months? I guess we'll find out.

Part of the challenge is a Bootcamp at 6:30 in the morning, MWF. We went last week, and the running sucked, but the rest of it wasn't bad. I think it's geared for the weakest in the bunch or maybe they were just lulling us into comfortable? Since it wasn't that bad, and I'm usually up and at the gym at 5, I think I'm going to try to get some lifting in before hand. I'd like to come up with something new and exciting, but honestly I know I won't do it if it requires too much planning or thinking. I'm lazy like that. I can go to the gym, but so help me if I have to decide what to do once I get there.

Which means... I'm back on the 531 train. I liked it, and I do it. So, it works. What's that saying... the best plan is the one you will actually do? I'm just going with the maxes I started last cycle with. I'm assuming I haven't lost much strength.

Maxes:
OHP 75lbs
BP 110 lbs
Squat 135 lbs
DL 250

So that's pretty much the workout plan. Judo, 531 and Boot Camp. Probably some spin and yoga as needed. The weight loss is pretty much a kitchen thing. It's a boring grind. But one I've done and know I can do. I'm going to start with 1700 Calories total, at least 140g of protein, no cheese, no processed. It'll be fun.

For now though, bath time!

Finally! Some Pajamas

Yup, finally some pajamas. I managed to get some BJJ time in this month. I spent some time in Cleveland and got to roll in the academies new space. They've moved since I was last there and so things have changed a lot about the space, but the guys and Darren are just as awesome as ever ( link to website, I tried to link the logo but I'm not sure that will work, go see my boys, you'll love them as much as I do  http://www.clevelandbjj.com/ ).

I hit a few classes. It's been about a year (!) since I've actually been on the mats, and that felt really evident to me. I couldn't remember anything. We did the elbow escape and I kept forgetting to hook the leg after I escaped it. Even some of the self defense stuff was rusty. Despite all the rust, it was it was kinda nice to get back on the mats and be in class.

I rolled a bit but, I was just relying on instinct. I closed my eyes and just went with it. I didn't branch out and just rolled with the guys I'm comfortable with. All the same issues I've always had were still there. I can't pass butterfly guard with any sort of grace, and I still just hide in turtle guard even if it's not the best idea. There were a few times that I could have maybe gone for a submission, but that's never been a strong point of mine. I did get a few backs, but I don't know if that was just the guys going easy on me. It was nice that I was still able to do things based on instinct. I got submitted a few times, but it wasn't like I was getting my ass kicked. They were nice challenging rolls. It's reassuring that the fundamentals are thoroughly a part of me. 

A few things not directly related to BJJ became evident while rolling too. I could really tell that hooping had helped with hip mobility and control. I could feel the difference in my ability to surf when on top. The only thing that saved me from being swept from butterfly guard was moving my hips and sprawling on different sides as needed.

I also felt a lot stronger while rolling. In the moment it was really evident to me. The guys aren't weak, but I could still keep my arms when they were tugging on them. A lot of the times all that saved me was strength. I just felt more solid in general. I try not to let strength play a big role while rolling, it's not the game I want, but sometimes it's the only game I have. 

The game I didn't have, was a game with any sort of endurance. Oh man, after a few minutes of rolling I was wiped. Let's not even talk about the warm up and finisher mountain climbers after class. I guess ignoring cardio at the gym isn't the best idea. 

Overall, I'm really glad I went and rolled. I was a bit afraid at first to go to class. I hadn't been in so long, I was really worried that I'd have forgotten everything and would just totally suck but that wasn't the case. It felt really good to roll. I'll have to do it more often :) 

Summer Fun!

I haven't spent a lot of time at the gym over the last month, but instead have been enjoying playing outside. I've recently discovered kayaking and have been doing a lot of that. We've done both slow lazy rivers and faster moving creeks and I've gotta say I'm more of a faster water fan. Not white water, but something with a current.

We spent some time in the Huron National Forest. Did you know jack pines need heat to reproduce? (1) Which means we got to hike through the burned down remains of a forest. While the heat was a little miserable, it made for good shooting and it was cool to go off trail. There are some trails in the forest, but they let you roam where ever you want. 

I have managed to hit the gym twice this week. I think my 531 powerlifter phase is over for a bit. I've kind of lost gym motivation, and that usually means it's time for a change. With the inconsistent schedule summer II provides it's hard to stick to a program, so I think I'm just going to try to do complexes when I'm in town. Maybe steal a bit from CrossFit WODs (2), you know the opposite of PL. So, this week Monday I hit a yoga class. After a weekend on the water it's about all my body can take. 

Tuesday:

Jump Rope - 450 jumps, I'm slow and have no endurance (hopefully the complexes help with that) so for me that's about 50 jumps (do we call them jumps?) in 30 sec. So it's about 10 min of 30on 30off.

Ab Wheel - I couldn't get my own skirt on my kayak, I had to have Dallas get out of his and help me. It was embarrassing. He told me I needed stronger abs. So, stronger abs it is.

Clean and Press - I don't really know the Olympic lifts. I know theoretically what this is supposed to look like, but I'm not sure if it's what I was doing. I did about 20 with 65lbs in sets of 4-5. I didn't really keep track. I'm going to have to plan complexes so that learning the lift isn't a hurdle to getting a workout. 

I finished with some single are snatches with 45lb dbs. Mostly because I could.

Wends:

Kept it simple, not easy, but simple.

KB swings -50 with 30lbs to get my ass into it

Ab wheel super supersetted with Palof Press (3)

Squats - 100 with 75lbs, it took me like an hour, but it was more mental then anything else. I needed a good kick in the pants.

Then I walked on the treadmill a bit, you know to make sure I could still walk.

Not sure what I'll do today.

(1) In case you want more info, a starting place since the jack pine is a common name http://www.pc.gc.ca/dci/src/3d_e.asp?what=more&sitename=reforest&theme=mi&btn_state=3-d&more_lnk=no

(2) The WOD list, and info about what WOD even means can be found at the CrossFit website http://board.crossfit.com/showthread.php?t=42693
(3) I just do them standing, but progressions since I know you all can kick my ass http://www.tonygentilcore.com/blog/everything-pallof-press/

531 W1 C4 and Camping!

I crammed bench and squat into W and Th of last week, and damn it was hard. I went camping with my parents and brother at the end of the week though, so it had to be done. We rented a rustic cabin from the state park and had a blast.

 I could live in a cabin in the woods (and if Dallas gets his way, eventually we will). That much green really does just make me feel whole again. I need a close water source though, carrying water and wood after a week of 531, not fun. My arms are getting super sore, and I don't do any direct arm work. Actually all of me was super sore up until today. BBB is really tough on the body. I usually do 2 a days but I don't think that's going to work out with BBB. I really do need all day to recover. I didn't get in any of my body weight movement goals last week, not a single push up! What I did do:

Wends AM:

Warm up- shoulder upper body focus

BBB BP

5x45lbs

5x55

3x65

5x70

5x80

5x90

10x55

10x55

10x55

10x55

10x65 - 55 wasn't really feeling all that heavy, so I bumped it up. I'll bump it up in the next week for them all. 

Then I did a bunch of shoulder saver stuff, it feels good. I totally planned on going to hula hoop in the PM, but fell asleep after class and missed it. I chalked it up to my body needing the break.

Thurs AM:

Warm up - hip mobility focus

BBB Squats

5x55lbs

5x70

3x80

5x85

5x100

5x115

10x70

10x70

10x70

10x70

10x70

I may bump this up to 75 next week. It sucked, but not enough to keep my mind wandering. Someone told me to think about pressing my knees out when squatting and it's really helped. I think a wave or two of BBB squats and I'm going to start getting much more comfortable with them. That much volume can't help but make you better at them, right?

Afterwards I walked on the treadmill for about 20 min, just to keep my legs and hips from freaking out. 

Friday and Sat were camping! We did a good 4 mile trail on Friday, it really helped with the soreness. 

And so begins another week, thanks for reading along!

531 BBB DLs

When it rains posts, it pours?

I tend to workout in spurts sometimes, and that's been especially true this summer. I'll get all my sessions that are planned in, but I'll do them in 4 days because I have plans that make gym time hard. This is one of those weeks. I'm going camping with the family at the end of the week, so I'm cramming everything into the next two days. It's a bit sucky, but it makes for less guilt when I do nothing, and also a nice long recovery between weeks. So, I guess I'll be logging in spurts too.

I don't know if I'll make it to the gym tonite, which meant DLs this morning. I don't normally like to lift fasted, but eating at 5 isn't happening. I had a bit of milk in my treadmill coffee, but seeing as I had six eggs before bed I wasn't too hungry anyway.

BBB DLs

5min on the treadmill with my coffee
Warm up, focus on hips and some shoulder dislocates

DLs - Sumo!
5x95lbs
5x120
3x145
5x155
5x180
5x200
10x120
10x120
10x120
10x120
10x120

So, yeah that was hard. I was pulling for about 45 min total, and by the end sucking some serious wind and a sweaty mess.

I loved it!

531 W1 C4

I decided to skip the deload and venture right into the next wave of 531. So, I've kinda been eating like a beast along with lifting like a beast for this last wave. It's actually been pretty good to my body. I feel like I've added mass in good places, le ass and shoulders. (I'm going to show off le ass a bit)

What it hasn't done is made me more comfortable in a bathing suit. We've got some beach time planned for the 4th of July, so for this wave, I'm going to ramp it up a bit. I don't like cardio, so my ramp it up is going to be BBB. I know BBB squats feels like cardio, so adding it in for bench and DL should be enough. I'll keep the BW stuff in too. We'll see how it goes, if it sucks/ doesn't work, I'll adjust next wave.

Todays gym time was a little off the norm. I slept in and missed my morning, so instead went at lunch. Remind me to never do that again. I'm not really comfortable with BBB for MP so I'm not doing it. 


Warm up- shoulder focused


MP
5x45lbs
5x45
5x45
5x50
5x65

Face pulls
2 sets of 12 at whatever weight the machine is at

Then I did a yoga class. My hips are still super tight from Friday's squats, and I was there at the right time, so why not? It was fun, and helped the hip situation a lot.

531 W3 C3

It took a few days for me to be able to get into the squat rack. I think the kids are all home from college now and apparently some of them are motivated enough to come shrug in my squat rack (yes, I claim it as mine) at 5am.

So, wends and thurs I mostly worked on accessory stuff. I spent some time working on single leg squats where you hold your leg off the ground in front of you. Uh, yeah, that's super hard. I mostly just tried sit on the bench using just one leg. There was a lot of plopping around and giggling to myself. Sometimes when you're learning something new, you just have to embrace the sillyness of it. I look like a drunk toddler now, but how awesome will it be when I'm actually knocking out pistols? I also lowered my push up incline. I've been doing my pushups off the bench, and 5 was gettting a bit easy so I moved to a stair step to push up off of. It's about mid shin height on me. Hopefully this rate means that by the end of the summer I'll be able to get them off the floor.

I did finally make it to the squat rack last night. There are no college kids curling in the squat rack on Friday night! I've been having squat issues and think volume might help that, so I've decided to do BBB. I think next wave I'll do it for bench and DL too, just too see what it's like. It's a hell of a cardio workout too. Maybe I'll have a little less fluff, if I can manage to keep the appetite in check. Not that I've been doing too badly. I have my little belly, but my profile is looking pretty good.

Warm up, focused on hips
Squatz, took about 45 min

5x50lbs
5x65
3x75
5x95
3x105
2x120
1x135 - I wasn't supposed to do this, but I wanted to, so I did
10x65
10x65
10x65
10x65
10x65

Walking and moving today is a bit rough, but I went to yoga and it's helped. I'm going to have to really focus on mobility with this next wave.