Saturday 8/30 Workout B

A.M.-

20 minute brisk walk, then Targeted mobility stretches/exercises.


P.M.-

Lacrosse ball/foam roller work, mobilization warm ups.

Workout B-

Front squat-
Warm up with 3Xbar,65,75
4X95,95,115,115

Alternating set-
2a- Inverted row,4X8
2b- Paused push up, 4X10

Alternating set-
3a- Prone I on stability ball, 3X10
3b- Front plank, 2X8,1X10

Time:69 minutes

Notes: Glad I tracked down a lacrosse ball to use in place of the tennis ball. It does a much better job. I'm beginning to get the hang of the ball and roller work and really understand and enjoy it.
Front squat is a new move for me, so I started light and worked on form. I dig me some squatting and am glad to do this as I can't back squat anymore due to shoulder mobility. Did one extra set of 2a,b and 3a,b. Sue me.

The swinging from yesterday is mostly hitting my hams, and a little in lower back and traps also. I expected it to be worse than it is.

Heating pad shoulder stretch 20 minutes a.m & p.m.

Perform Better sale

FYI-

Perform Better is having a Summer Sale on many useful items. In my post-workout glee I placed an order for a better foam roller, a good stability ball and another KB. Sale ends September 30th....

Friday August 29- Just a-swangin'...

A.M.-

20 minute brisk walk. Then ran through my targeted stretches/exercises from Bill's program.
The effort doesn't feel like a whole lot in total, but afterward I feel nice and loose, and there is some related light soreness also, so I know they're definitely doing something good.

P.M.

Tennis ball/foam roller work, mobilization warm ups.

Kettlebell swings. Millions of 'em. As a GPP junkie I couldn't wait to try this one when I saw it on the program.

KB Breathing Ladder
1 swing, 1 breath
2 swings, 2 breaths, etc. up to 20 and back down.

Warmed up with DBs, 5X30,35,40,45, then grabbed my brand new 52# KB and settled in for its inaugural ride. Whee! If the math is right that's 400 swings. I only sneaked in a few extra breaths, and prepared to start the next set as I was taking my last breath from the previous set. I'm pretty bad at keeping count sometimes, but you need to focus on this drill, as a forgotten count can cost you an extra 15, or 16, or whatever number of swings you space out. I'll be very curious to see where the soreness from this settles in. Great workout! 58 minutes from warm up to finish.

A.M. & P.M. heating pad shoulder stretch.

Thursday August 28- Workout A

A.M.-

20 minute brisk walk, than 4 X 10 of:

Body weight squats
Push ups
Lunge
Side planks

Push ups are alternating split hand stance, planks held for 30 seconds and alternate side each set.

P.M.-

First workout from the new program. Dang!

Tennis ball/foam roller work, mobilization warm ups.

Alternating Set 1-
1A. Paused DB Split squat
6 reps with 40,50,60#
1B. DB Row
8 reps with 45,45,50#

Alternating Set 2-
2A. Paused RDL
8 reps 115,115#
2B. Scaption (DB 30 degree front raise)
8 reps 5,10#

Side bridges- 2X7 each side, held for 5 seconds each w/1 sec rest between reps.

Notes:
Overall I felt like I should have done more work, but I will follow the plan as written. (Though I did add a rep to the side planks) Plus I'll be able to up the weights next time through. I've tried DB split squats before but not very enthusiastically. Why do we avoid what is good for us just because it hurts? Absolute focus on form on each rep, with Bill's remembered comments in my ear. Forgot to time it all, which I want to start doing.

Heating pad shoulder stretch a.m. & p.m.

At IFAST- Wednesday, August 27

Back to IFAST for my initial workout. Last visit was the assessment, and Bill will have a program ready for me at this point. I workout at home and have rarely been to gyms. A couple of times while travelling, and a couple of times around home at the YMCA to use their equipment and pool, and then on a day-pass basis. Six bucks for the Y for a day? Not a bad deal. So I wasn't sure what to expect when I got there.

Bill ran me through some soft tissue lacrosse ball and foam roller work and some mobility-based warm up movements. Then we went through all the exercises I'll do in the 4 week program he wrote. The mobilization warm ups are done daily, and there are two weight workouts that alternate, along with two energy system options on non-lifting days. One is a kettlebell swing ladder that looks like a ton of fun.

It was interesting to get coached, both to learn new movements and exercises and to see the correct way to do familiar ones. I guess it's human nature to make work easier to an extent, and after taking out all the 'helping' body motion and getting the movement done only by the target muscles at a controlled pace and tempo makes a gigantic difference in the overall effect. Take 1 arm dumbbell rows. I could crank out sets of 8-10 with 80#, now I'm using 50# at most and feeling it much harder. Form matters. A lot.

I soaked up at much as I could take in, Bill made sure I was okay with the program, and I drove back home for an afternoon back at work. I'm eager to start it all!

I am utterly convinced this approach, while a little late, is a great idea. If you've ever considered having a trainer, do it. You won't be sorry, you'll save time, get better results, and learn how to keep away from injury. If you're within striking distance of IFAST, you can't do better.

Why Rebuild 2.0?

The Dark Age.

I was overweight and had had an ominous physical exam. It made me mad. I took stock of what had gotten me where I was and began learning what to do instead.



The Age Of Enlightenment.

I learned about food and its relation to health, and started weight training and also resumed running. Two years and 70 pounds later, Rebuild 1.0 was complete. Insert several happy and healthy years here. Fitness and nutrition remain a very interesting topic for me and I still am learning about them.

The Deconstruction Age.

Self-taught aggressively heavy weight training is a bad idea. I have the bad shoulder to prove it. Lots of high mileage months on county roads is also a bad idea, at least for my hip. Wavering commitment to solid nutrition- bad idea. Ten-fifteen pounds to go.

Enter Rebuild 2.0.

Getting smarter with age I have finally decided to work with a trainer. I got me a good one too- Bill Hartman, co-owner with Mike Robertson of IFAST in Indianapolis, an hour and a half trek for me. My first visit was for an hour-long assessment which revealed just how bad my shoulder is (When Bill Hartman looks at you and says "It's real bad", you believe him.) along with a few other weaknesses that will all be addressed.

So- here we go...

Tuesday August 26, 2008

A.M.

Brisk 20 minute walk, then
4 times through 10 reps each of:

Body weight squats
Offset stance push ups
Lunges
Side planks

Alternate left and right side planks each time through.


P.M.

15 minute warm up run, then 10 hill sprints of about 70 yards each, 10 minute cool down run, with 1 extra hill sprint for fun.

A.M. & P.M. heating pad shoulder stretch for 20 minutes each time.

Monday August 25

A.M.

20 minute brisk walk, then
4 times through 10 reps each of:

Body weight squats
Push ups
Lunges
Side planks

Push ups done with one hand about a foot in front of the other, alternate hand position each set.
Side planks held for 30 seconds

P.M.

Circuit: 6 times through, 10 reps each set. Minimal rest between sets.

BB Clean 135
Weighted Push Up 35 (Wearing backpack with 35# plate)
Step Ups 50 (5 reps each side, with 25# DB)
Inverted Body Weight Rows

Worked up a great sweat. Got interrupted with a phonecall, then resumed and finished.

Shoulder heating pad stretch for 20 minutes a.m. & p.m.