Discordian in training (Log)

[discordian]

@Ewerbos - Thanks for the compliment. I still think you do more impressive job at lifting than I . I'll probably drop the volume way down next week and see if improves my state of being. As added malus the dark season is here and I'm rather affected with that as well.

Another climbing gym session.

Amazingly I seem to have lost the fear of heights. Doesn't probably apply to other activities, but being up at the wall doesn't kick like it did last time. I managed to complete another route (simplest without certain colored holds) and made some headway on another - up to a point where the holds get awkward enough for me to lose grip.

I enjoyed climbing and am happy that people allow total newbie like me to participate without getting visibly annoyed.

Disc.

[ewerbos]

Oh, I missed that you did climbing. Awesome. I was doing that for a while before I started stronglifts; I've been looking forward to doing it again now that I'm stronger, but I'm always hesitant to affect my gym sessions, and a little concerned I won't manage much after them...

[discordian]

@Ewerbos: I took the philosophy that I'm going to gym for foreseeable future. Thus, I don't care much if gym interferes with other things or vice versa. Likewise I don't think climbing will much affect my training, except to have positive effect on my mood. Gym for gyms sake is great hobby, but I also want to enjoy the increased functionality that it gives me!


Light Exercise 1.

I thought to begin a light week next week, but today I missed gym because I wanted to donate blood. But they didn't let me! I'm sad and angry! Thus I thought to begin my light week now: 150 random reps with 16kg kettlebell.

10+10 Halo - Shoulder says ow!
12+12 One handed swing - Yeehaw!
10+10 One handed clean - Holy, this makes me tired.
10+10 Single leg deadlift - Surprisingly hard!
3 pullups

Catching breath for a while

10+10 High pull
20 goblet squats - These were really really hard. I didn't know I was this badly conditioned.

Catching breath

4 Chinups
10+10 Rows

Catching more breath

1+1 "Shoulder-ups" - hold pullup bar with mixed grip and hands touching. Now touch your shoulder to the bar.
10 two-handed swings. - For an easy end.

Noticing that I still have juice

30 two-handed swings
10 reverse crunches
10 two handed swings

This took about 20-25 min with rests included so I count it as light, although I feel quite drained. I wonder if it would be really bad idea to do my entire light week with kettlebells? It would be quite different.

Disc
.. I urge everyone to try kettlebell style movements! They are great way of getting really intense short workouts.

[ewerbos]

People keep talking about these kettlebell things--Actually, one of the guys at my weightlifting club just took a week off and mentioned that he'd been using kettlebells also to keep somewhat in shape. I guess that means it is a good plan.

I'm not sure I would want to learn a whole new set of exercises, though.

[discordian]

People keep talking about these kettlebell things--Actually, one of the guys at my weightlifting club just took a week off and mentioned that he'd been using kettlebells also to keep somewhat in shape. I guess that means it is a good plan.
I'm not sure I would want to learn a whole new set of exercises, though.

They are quite fun. I doubt that they make you as strong as bar and plates, but they seem to be very nice for HIIT style things. On the positive side I've found the exercises much easier to learn than barbell ones. This might also be the fact that they are more forgiving due less weight.

Disc.

.. Honestly, kettlebells are huge fad currently. Dumbbells can sub them rather well.

[discordian]

Bonus Exercise 3 - Wall climbing

My third try at this. I've been seeing some nightmares about rope getting loose at the top and falling to my rather painful and premature death. No matter. Still went to climb. The routes were redone so I can't compare but I think I got farther than before. But it is fun that I can observe the effects of the gym while doing this. I have horrible climbing technique, but I still manage to plain muscle myself up at difficult points. I just tend to run out of juice nearing the top when doing like this.

Though I don't have this amazing grip that others in the bunch do, but that is something to strive for with lots of hard work.

Disc

.. I really admire the skinny girls that practically run up the wall as well as 12 year old children that have really unbelievable strength/weight ratio.

[ewerbos]

Climbing is fabulous. I am going to try again soon (though I seem to have hurt my back recently). Do you know the rated difficulty of the routes you are doing? When I was doing it, I started at 5-7s and progressed to doing some 5-9s (even managed a 5-10a). I'm hoping I can do more now--Not improved technique, but I'm guessing I can do the boy cheating more, now that I've been lifting!

You climb at an outdoors wall? Or indoors? It's getting a bit cold for the outdoors wall at my school now, unfortunately--It's possible to go to the indoors gym, but that's not at my school, so I'd have to pay the outrageous prices to use it. Maybe when I've got a job...

[discordian]

Climbing is fabulous. I am going to try again soon (though I seem to have hurt my back recently). Do you know the rated difficulty of the routes you are doing? When I was doing it, I started at 5-7s and progressed to doing some 5-9s (even managed a 5-10a). I'm hoping I can do more now--Not improved technique, but I'm guessing I can do the boy cheating more, now that I've been lifting!

I have no idea if the routes I've been taking have been rated. Probably not. Thus far it has been mostly straight wall except for small incline just at the top. You know, the thing that you reach when your hands are really tired, there are two meters to go and the wall becomes an overhang. Anyways, it is indoor, has to be: Sun sets here at something like 16.30

But do try it again! I bet that you increased strength will have a visible effect! I was surprised to realize that lifting has also increased my flexibility rather much.

Disc.

.. I think this sounds really lame, but one of the reasons I enjoyed climbing is, that for the very first time of my life, I tried a sport where I am not automatically the worst person around.

[ewerbos]

Absolutely! That was its appeal for me, as well. I was a real monkey-child when I was a kid, and longer than most folks were, but of course, you get older, and forget it... And when I started climbing, I was absolutely better off the bat than most of my friends. I'm also a little stronger than most girls, too, which I think helped (even before strength training).

And the incline of the wall isn't the only factor in difficulty. It also has to do with how many holds they are, and how far apart they are. Obviously, the ratings are subjective. What sort of place are you climbing at?

[discordian]

It is this large local sports centre. Looks like this:


(Apologizes for anyone whose image I just stole)

The difficulty is very hard for me to assess, since I've tried all in all something like 5 different routes in my life. I can just say that one route is hard due the incline, and other because at one point there is really nothing you can grab with ease. Unless you're a pro and then you can apparently grab the same hold with both hand and foot


Disc.
.. Notice the very Kitsch painting of a mountain.

[discordian]

Light Exercise 2 - aka "ends with puking"

So, another set of random reps with kettlebell. 16kg as usual. This time I tried to do sets pretty much continuously, which as you know, will make things harder.

Set 1
30 x Double handed swing - to warm up
10+10 x Halo
10+10 x Single leg deadlift

Pause

Set 2
20+20 x High pull - My breath, I can't catch it!
10 x Goblet Squat - Hard.
10+10 x Clean - With kettlebells I'm almost getting this move
20 + 20 x Russian twist - aka abs

At this point I start to see stars. Pause

Set 3
10 x Goblet squat - I swear, I'm feeling worse than after real squats
15+15 x Rows
5+5 x Snatch - My left arm is a traitor and I can't do more
5 x Chinups
10 x Double handed swings

After the swings I start feeling bit dizzy and eventually have to lie down in order not to throw up.

155 reps in total.

Then I start to write this post and have to go and lie down once again. I think I forgot to eat enough today..

Disc.

.. I Have to admire people whose rep-counts are in thousands, not in hundreds.

[discordian]

Light Exercise 3

Taking a week off has been positive thing, though it is surprisingly hard. I've had some time to reflect on what I'm doing. How does lifting fit into my life, what does it take and give? I have had some pains that came from gym and still persist after weeks. Squats were getting scarily heavy and I was at my wits end with them. Should I continue with weights at all?

Hell yes. In fact the kettlebell in the corner is just asking for it! Next monday: back to bar and plates.

5+5x Onehanded Swing
5+5x High pull
5+5x Snatch
5+5x Clean&Press
5+5x Reverse Lunge.
5+5x TGU, with just 2 liter bottle filled with water. 16kg is way way too heavy for me to do currently

Disc

.. I'm just hoping that I'm not screwing around my training by doing my light week like this.

[ewerbos]

I doubt you're screwing up your training! It sounds like an interesting break, and again, almost everyone says to take a light week every once in a while.

I can't imagine not lifting, either--Too many good things come from it--And there are plenty of *other* pains that come from not lifting, though I guess most of them wouldn't show up until later!

[discordian]

Light Exercise 4

More random reps with kettlebell. This time I made sets shorter and concentrated on having less pauses in them. Seems that bells are just right thing if you need to lose your breath and break a sweat in 15 min.

Set 1
5+5 x OH Swing
5+5 x High pull
5+5 x Snatch
5+5 x Clean
5+5 x Reverse Lunge

Set 2
5 x Pull up
5 x Goblet Squat
5+5 x Twist
5+5 x SL Deadlift
5 x Chinup

Set 3
5+5 x Clean&Press
5+5 x Forward Lunge
5+5 x Snatch
5 x Pushups - Too few, but since I agreed to do 5 of everything..
5+5 x Swings

Set 4
5 x Pull up
5 x Goblet Squat
5+5 x Twist
5+5 x SL Deadlift
5 x Chinup


Disc.

So, only 100 reps but lets call it a light day of light training

[discordian]

Exercise #28

Squat 95kg - First set almost almost stopped me. But rest went ok. Except for the very final one where my back rounded a bit and feels now slightly sore
OHP 40kg - Dropped the weight due pain in my neck. This was easy except for the last set. My back again. I think I forgot to squeeze my abs hard enough to keep my back neutral.
Deadlift 110kg - Well. Not easy.
Chin/Pull-ups 5-5-5 - I thought to 'deload' here as well and see if I can make 3x5.

Overall a nice exercise. But the pain in my upper back/neck that has been bothering me for several weeks seems to have gotten worse by this. Perhaps I really need to bother a doctor.

Also, it seems that I'm taking ungodly amounts of time with this, and my mistakes are on the last sets. Would it make sense to drop volume in this case to, say, 3x5?

Disc.

... It seems that benchpress equipment can be used as impromptu maraca.