December 1, 2015: Do It Anyway

After a week off from exercise due to Thanksgiving and travel, I'm back in the gym (or the basement in this case). It was actually a little hard for me to finally get going today. This scared me a little. I had had periods of time in my life where I was very motivated with exercise and fitness. Then something would happen in my life to distract me for a few days from working out and then my motivation would just trail off.

However, I came across a great article by James Clear in my e-mail (I am a subscriber to his e-mail list). The article is called How to Stay Focused When You Get Bored Working Toward Your Goals. I felt like he wrote this article for me on this very day! Here are just a few of the most important points I got out of the article.

First, he discusses that the top performers show up even when the work is boring because it is something they've done before. One of the things that separates the best from the rest is being able to sustain effort even when they're not feeling the passion that maybe initially got them moving towards world-class performance.

Next, people who consistently achieve their goals and continue to do so are committed to the process of achievement - not just the goal itself. For example, with my current goal setting system I am learning to love the methods I am using to reach my goals, and also creating the habit of setting new goals right away when I achieve one. I've also come to really enjoy certain exercises that I didn't before - although I'm still not loving the front squat.

Finally, he alludes to the "10 years of silence" that world class performers go through before they reach the top. This is the famous 10,000 hours of deliberate practice that the top performers do before they become truly the best in their field. The realization that getting really good at anything takes time can be both a burden and a blessing. However, the way I see it, it gives me permission to be patient with myself.

In conclusion, today I wasn't feeling super excited about working out. However, I did it anyway. God bless you!

December 1, 2015 Workout

Time of Workout: 10:45 AM

Warm-up: 10 minutes

Dynamic and static stretching warm-up from Alan Thrall

I thought I'd try something different. It worked out pretty well, although I will continue to experiment with different warm-up routines.

Bodyweight Squat: 5 reps x 3 sets

Back Squat:

1. 45 x 5

2. 55 x 5

3. 75 x 5

4. 95 x 5

5. 115 x 5

I felt pretty good with my depth and positioning, but the bar didn't feel great a little higher on my back. Also, as this was my first workout in a week, I decided to keep the weight where it was.

I rested for about 3 minutes, then
4 rounds 3-minute Boxing with 1 min. rest between rounds



This was very hard for me. I think part of this has to do with the squats I just did, but I just need to build up my stamina for bag work again. From a technical standpoint, I did okay. I need to keep my hands up a little more, but my punches were strong and my combinations were crisp. As my conditioning increases, I want to continue to improve my technique as well.

Stretching: 5 minutes

Total Workout Time: ~1 hour

November 20, 2015: Humility and Growth

I was reflecting this week on humility. I know I've written about this previously, but it is so important that it always helps me to repeat it. Humility is not weakness. Instead, it is the courage to look at things the way they truly are, instead of through a lens of pride and overconfidence.

I have found that my greatest periods of growth in business, martial arts, and relationships occurred at times of great humility.

I learned this lesson the hard way when I was about 20 years old. I was introduced to a new Kali instructor named Doug after training with another teacher for several years. I was young and perhaps overconfident. I told my instructor about my previous experience and although I felt I was being respectful, in hindsight I can see how my introduction of myself may have come off as slightly pretentious. After the class, he gave me a private "lesson."

To be kind (to myself), he showed me some nuances that I had failed to grasp in my previous training (to no fault of my previous instructor, but perhaps to my overconfidence in my technique). This lesson involved very sore knuckles - we used rattan sticks as seen in my last workout - and a bruised ego. From that day on, by revisiting and relearning the basics, I learned how to use my body more effectively and once applied to my previously learned techniques (along with the new ones I learned), made me much more powerful and fluid. Besides humility, my experience with Doug reinforced the importance of mastering basic movements before attempting more complicated ones.

I have similar somewhat embarrassing experiences in other parts of my life. Fortunately, I can laugh about them now. More importantly, I am grateful for them because it is through them that I have found the greatest growth in my life. God bless you.

November 19, 2015 - Recovery Day

November 20, 2015 - Workout

Warm-up: 5 minutes Elliptical 

I'm not a big fan of the Elliptical, but my son was using the one next to me, so we hung out for a few minutes. It is a nice non-impact way to warm my knee up though.

BW Squats: 5 reps x 3 sets
My right knee felt a little off, but warmed up as I did the squats.

Back Squat: 
1. 65 x 5
2. 95 x 5
3. 115 x 5
4. 115 x 5
5. 125 x 5! New PR!
I felt like challenging myself, and it was a challenge. I took several breaths at the top before holding a big breath through the squats. I focused a lot on keeping my core engaged and reaching proper depth. I'm thinking I might work some pause reps in my lighter warm-up sets next time to accentuate my bottom position and driving out of the bottom. I was pleased to hit a new PR. 

Push-ups: 5 reps x 3 sets

Bench Press:
1. 95 x 5
2. 115 x 5
3. 135 x 5
4. 135 x 5
5. 135 x 5
These were hard sets, but solid. I'm going to stay put at this weight while I bring up some of my other lifts, although if it gets too easy, I will add some weight to it. I'd love to hit 1x bodyweight by the end of the year.
At this point, I actually drove home and did some pull-ups at home.

Pull-ups:
1. 4 regular reps + 1 assisted rep (with band) This felt a little awkward and the band wasn't very strong, so I decided to use negatives on the following sets.
2. 3 regular reps + 2 negative reps (5 seconds down)
3. 2.5 regular + 3 negative reps (5 seconds down)

I realize in order to progress with these I need to get more reps in, so I'm using some assistance to increase the volume.

Stretching: ~5 minutes

November 17, 2015: Progress with Accountability

As I was working out today, I was reflecting on how this blog and the videos I make have helped me to progress with my fitness. First, I enjoy writing and making the videos. It has become a hobby in itself in a way. At this point, I now also feel a small responsibility to my readers - all 4 of you! The blog has become a source of accountability to me.

I think a lot of people are afraid of accountability. We don't like when we need to report to someone, or when our actions have consequences for other people. A lot of people just want to do what they want to do with no regard for how it affects other people. This includes our health among other things. 

Before, I used to think of fitness as an extracurricular. However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized how important it was to my life as a whole. My fitness and health affects my energy to do the things I have to do - my responsibilities. This includes being a father to my children and a husband to my wife. It includes having the energy to work a full week serving my clients in my business. It also includes having the energy and strength to take care of my house and property. Fitness matters! It is more than an enjoyable activity - it is a responsibility.

If you are trying to develop good habits for exercise, diet, or any other aspect of your life, try finding ways to become more accountable. Phone apps that track your diet or exercise like mapmyrun.com for example are great because they are visible and you can tap into the community if you wish for additional support. Maybe you have a friend who has similar goals to you. You can check in and support each other along the way.

Well, speaking of accountability, time to get back to work. God bless you!

November 17, 2017 Workout

Time of workout: 11 AM

Location: Basement

Warm-up: 3 min. Stationary bike

Joint Rotation

Overhead Press: 

1. 45 x 5

2. 55 x 5

3. 65 x 5

I have not done these in several years. I stuck with this weight for the rest of the sets because I still had full control of the weight but it was "hard."

4. 65 x 5

5. 65 x 5

I did something a little different in that I filmed every set and spent a minute watching it. I made a couple little corrections along the way, mainly in my grip.

Bodyweight Squat: 5 reps x 3 sets 

Warming up for Back Squat

Back Squat:

1. 65 x 5

2. 75 x 5

3. 95 x 5

4. 115 x 5

5. 115 x 5 (Click here for a video of the 4th and 5th sets - now with a cool soundtrack!)

Working with heavier weight forced me to focus on my breathing and technique. It felt great. Hard...but great.

5 minute rest

Boxing Heavy Bag: 3 x 3-minute rounds with 1-minute rest

This felt good. I focused on keeping active with 4-5 punch combinations and footwork. The 2nd and 3rd rounds I picked up the pace as well as adding more power hooks at the ends of my combinations.

Stretching: 10 minutes

Total Workout Time: ~75 minutes I had a little more time today so I enjoyed it!

Attacking Your Weaknesses

I listened to several interesting presentations by Crossfit's founder Greg Glassman. He was very insightful about many fitness and health-related topics, but today I wanted to focus on his view of weaknesses. One of the basic philosophies of Crossfit is that they don't want to specialize in anything - and conversely they don't want to have any weaknesses in fitness. He states that we should focusing on strengthening our weaknesses. It is fairly logical advice - your fitness "chain" is only as strong as its weakest link. However, this is often easier said than done.

Weaknesses may develop for many reasons. Maybe we've never been exposed to a certain exercise or method - e.g. the person who grew up using "bodybuilding" weightlifting strategies who discovers powerlifting or Olympic weightlifting. However, sometimes our own fears and biases have led to a "comfort" zone where we continually focus on the things we are good at. For example, always being of slight build, I always preferred high repetition calisthenics like push-ups and bodyweight squats to heavy weightlifting. You may notice my current strength goals are biased towards weightlifting in an attempt to balance that bias.

We may also have fears or embarrassment that prevents us from facing our weaknesses. I didn't learn to swim when I was younger, and for the longest time, I avoided going anywhere I'd have to swim. However, now I'm currently trying to improve my swimming - partly because my wife and children love swimming, and partly because I realize it is a great form of exercise and a practical skill to have. Now that I have some proficiency, I'm actually finding it somewhat enjoyable as well.

So what are your weaknesses? Are you a runner who dislikes strength training? Or are you on the other spectrum, you love lifting heavy weights but don't enjoy conditioning? Of course, part of exercise is enjoyment and recreation, so don't feel like you have to attack your weaknesses. However, if comprehensive fitness and health is your ultimate goal, your weaknesses are a great place to start.

Extra Credit

If this post inspired you or sparked your curiosity, you can also check out Greg Glassman's original article What is Fitness? that defines what Crossfit is and attempts to do. I'm not affiliated with or represent Crossfit in any way. I respect Greg Glassman and have many friends and family who enjoy Crossfit.

November 11, 2015 Workout

Time of workout: 11:30 AM

Location: YMCA

Warm-up:

Bike 3 minutes

Bodyweight Squat: 5 reps x 3 sets

Stretching

Back Squat:

1. 75 x 5

2. 95 x 5

3. 95 x 5 Here I reminded myself to hold my breath until the end of the rep, which helped a lot.

4. 105 x 5

5. 115 x 5! I felt good and brave, so I went for an unplanned jump in weight. I did well in the first 4 reps. On the 5th rep, I struggled and my hips came up before the bar a little, but I was able to quickly correct it. On a side note, this is the most I have ever squatted.

Time for Squats: ~15 minutes

Stretching - 5 minutes

Swimming - Nothing too intense. Practiced breaststroke a little as well as floating around in the deep. About 20 minutes with the boys.

Post-Workout Comments

Not much to add. I was pleased to hit a new personal best. I want to continue to developing my breathing technique during the squat. 

Strive to Progress

When you don't have much time to exercise, you have to make the most of the time that you have. One way I'm trying to do it is to always try to make some type of improvement or progress every single workout. This way, I'm always progressing toward my goals. Here's a couple thoughts on ways to progress.

First, the most concrete way is to increase your resistance (for strength training) or reduce your time or increase your distance (for endurance goals). At the beginning, with some of the larger lifts - like squat or deadlift - you can add 5 or 10 pounds almost every week! The more advanced or mature of an athlete you are, the harder this gets. However, there's other ways to make progress.

Another way to make progress or measure improvement is by decreasing the rest time between sets. The way I measure this for my workouts is by recording the full time for the specific movements. For example, for a lot of my bigger movements, I use a 5 set by 5 rep (5 x 5) structure. I record the time from the first set to the end of the last set. That way, even if I'm not ready to move up in weight, I can try to complete the sets with less rest.

Finally, you can make small improvements to your technique, which will eventually lead to strength gains. Today, during my squats, my main improvement in my technique was focusing on one spot during my squat. It was amazing what that one change did to my balance and execution of the exercise.

So see how you can improve today - both in your workouts and in other aspects of life. God bless you.

November 5, 2015 Workout

Time of workout: 9 AM

Warm-up: 3 min. stationary bike

Foam rolling

Static Stretching

5 reps x 3 sets bodyweight squat

Back Squat: 

1. 65 x 5

2. 75 x 5

3. 85 x 5

4. 85 x 5

5. 95 x 5

Time on Squats: ~15 minutes

I tried to increase the depth of my squat, but I noticed that when I went to low, my lower back started to arch a little. I think this is due to a lack of mobility in my hamstrings. So until I iimprove that, I will squat to my previous depth - which was still fairly low. Here is a video of my 5th set with a new high point for weight.

Pull-ups:

1. 3 1/2 

2. 2 1/2

3. 3

Yeah I know I need to improve on these. I think as I repeat them I will get better. 

Stretching: 5 minutes

Back Squats are Fun

When I was younger, even when I rowed in high school, I didn't squat. I did bodyweight squats as well as exercises like leg press, and the rowing itself worked the same muscles, but I never did a squat with a barbell. Now that I'm older and wiser, I realize how important squats are - particularly from the perspective of longevity of activity. The hips and lower back are a very common area where people get injuries as they age, so the more of a foundation of strength and stability we can build, the better.

Workout

Time of workout: 7 AM

Warm-up: 5 minutes shadowboxing with calisthenics mixed in. I just kept it active and loose.

1. Back Squat: Bar x 5 reps

2 Pull-ups

I did the pull-ups straight after racking the bar, although I had about a minute rest between the pull-ups and the next set of squats. In case you are wondering, I can't do that many pull-ups in a row (maybe 5), so 2 is a solid amount to do between each squat set.

2. Back Squat: 65 x 5

2 Pull-ups

3. Back squat: 75 x 5

2 Pull-ups

4. Back squat: 75 x 5

2 Pull-ups

5. Back Squat: 85 x 5

2 Pull-ups

I recorded my last set of squats. The quality isn't great, but I want to use the videos occasionally to check my form and share them with you.

Heavy Bag: 5 minutes

I tried to keep the pace going for the 5 minutes. I also focused on body and head evasion. I originally wanted to use the double-end bag, which focuses on evasion and head movement, but my bungee cords need to be replaced, so I tried to keep in the spirit of the intended medium.

Stretching: 5 minutes

Duration of workout: ~25 minutes (it got broken up as I was getting my son ready for school between the main workout and the stretching, but probably 25 minutes of actual exercise.

Post-Workout Thoughts

I was pleased by the workout. I can squat more, but as I want to progress slowly as I haven't squatted heavy since before my knee surgery in 2013. However, I feel progress and a good workout overall. I could feel some good soreness from my shoulders from the Turkish Get-ups and Heavy Bag yesterday. Not too bad, but I wouldn't want to have bench pressed today.

Thank you for checking out my blog. Let me know what you think and I always appreciate any feedback. I'm not an expert on working out or blogging, but I try my best. God bless you.

Two Quick Workouts

Thursday, October 29, 2015

Warm-up: 5 minutes stationary bike

1. Back Squat: 45 (bar) x 5

Chin-ups: 2

2. Back Squat: 45 x 5

Chin-ups: 2

3. Back Squat: 65 x 5

Chin-ups: 2

4. Back Squat: 65 x 5

Chin-ups: 2

5. Back Squat: 75 x 5

Chin-ups: 2

Stretching: 5 minutes

This was about a 20 minute workout in my basement. 

Friday, October 30, 2015

Warm-up: 5 minutes stationary bike

Bench Press: 5 sets of 115 lbs. x 5

Jump Rope: ~ 4 minutes (moderate) - My main focus was just getting used to jumping rope again. 

Stretching: 5 minutes

This workout took about 20 minutes in my basement. I felt good about it. My progression with the bench press will be to add 5 pounds onto the last couple sets next workout.