ramming speed

4-19-11
-db hang power cleans (2x65lbs, 30, 6'45)
-weighted chin-ups (80 lbs, 3x3, 3x5 sec bent arm hangs)
-weighted bent arm hangs (80 lbs, 3x10 secs)
-Tabata row
-sledgehammer swipes and swings

So I added a 10 lbs plate to the dip belt for a grand total of 80 lbs. It was a struggle to do three proper reps per set of chin-ups with this weight. Working sets of 100 lbs, here I come! The Tabata row was a nice finisher. I felt better than last time, and pulled strongly for each work period.

db squatting

4-18-11
-high rep db squats (2x65 lbs, 70, 5'25)
-bw dips (3x10, 3x30 sec holds)
-sledgehammer levers and swipes

I was planning on doing hang power cleans today, but my lower back was thinking something else. I went with db squats with the idea of shooting for 100 reps in as quick a time as possible. Unfortunately, my grip betrayed me and I had to call it quits at 70 otherwise I'd have some explaining to do about a couple divots in the parquet flooring.

Git some!

Last night after Judo class, I wandered into the weight room of the Y. It had been years since I've been in a weight room-gave up gym memberships when the kids were born-so I was curious to see what I'd been missing. Barbells, squat racks, Olympic plates, yee-ha! So I step into the squat rack and prepare to do some squatting, when I hear the loud sounds of a guy psyching himself up, "C'mon, git some! 10 more! Woo-hoo!" It sounded like somebody lifting very heavy weight. My brain could not process what my ears were hearing and my eyes were seeing. The dude was doing push-ups, but you'd think he had 900 lbs on a bar. As Ronnie Coleman would say, "Ain't nuthin but a peanut."

4-14-11
-back squat (145lbs, 20)*
-bw dips (3x10, 3x30 secs holds)

Met a new people at Judo
Mark-white belt
Suzie-black belt

*gotta start somewhere

do I know you?

A quarter of the year is past and I haven't touched the rower. That's not right!

4-13-11
-bw dips (3x10, 3x30 sec holds)
-bw pull-ups (20, 10)
-Tabata row
-sledgehammer mills & levers

The Tabata row on my Concept ii rowing ergometer was a great finisher to cap off a not so taxing training day. Funny how the first couple 20 secs. work periods seem easy and then it all starts to unravel. My heart rate rarely gets this high. I must remember to do more of these, I've been cheating myself.

4-12-11
-db power cleans (30, 2x65 lbs)
-weighted chin-ups (70 lbs, 5x5)
-sledge hammer mills & levers

If I had a hammer

When you live in an apartment building, you really must resist the urge to accumulate stuff. Space comes at a premium and there is so little of it. If you train at home like I do, you are faced with the dilemma of requiring gear and training space with no backyard or basement. I have a huge list of things I'd like to have, but have no space for. This weekend, however, I got a piece of kit that I never thought I would have until I moved out to the 'burbs, a 10 lbs sledge hammer!

"Why, oh why, oh why?" you might ask. Well, $6.93 for a brand new 10 lbs sledge hammer is a bargain (they usually retail for around $30). Besides, how much floor space does a sledge hammer occupy? A lot less than another set of dumbbells I'll tell you. I didn't find a cheap tractor tire to bang away on with the hammer. That'll have to wait until I get to the 'burbs. The point of my new acquisition is grip training. Levering a 10 lbs hammer is a serious workout. With this 10 lbs bad-boy, I'm going to have to choke up on the handle quite a bit.

4-7-11
-Judo class

This was the first day of any exercise since vacation. I found myself breathing heavier than usual during the three bouts of standing randori (3 mins each) and two bouts of groundwork (2 mins each). It's not that much work, because of the small class size, but it's challenging enough for me. Unlike karate, Judo newaza (the groundwork) requires quite a lot of isometric strength endurance. I'll be doing more weighted bent arm hangs and hammer holds in the future.

4-9-11
-20 bw pull-ups
-weighted chin-ups (3x5, 70 lbs)
-kneeling to standing ab roll-outs (3x10)
-bw dips (2x10, 2x30 sec iso holds)

4-10-11
-db snatch (40, 65 lbs, 12 min)
-hammer levering

4-11-11
-50 burpees and 25 pull-ups (5')
-bw dips (2x10, 2x30 sec holds)

I'm not feeling very spry. My stamina seems to have been hit hard by the 1 week lay-off. I think I must concentrate on doing a little something everyday, even when on vacation. Otherwise, as I'm discovering, I lose much hard won ground. Argh!

6,255/[238]

Sailing, sailing away

Maybe you remember that treacly Chris Cross tune from the 1980's, and maybe you youngsters don't. I thought of it as I unwind from a week of sailing in the Caribbean with my family. We are not long time mariners, but have gone on day sails in the past. I was finally able to get the family motivated to take a week-long basic sailing course. Now we know the difference between a jib and a jibe!

We lived aboard a 41' Beneteau sloop. The kids slept in the aft cabin while my wife and I occupied the one forward. You might think that with two cabins (bedrooms), space was plenty-not really. Living on a boat, at least one in our budget range, is a test of family dynamics. Then there's getting used to the marine toilet, otherwise known as the head. It's not quite the hotel experience-then again a simple room can't offer the excitement of riding the wind and waves. I marveled at how my children, ages 14 and 11, took to sailing. The kids are deeply satisfied at being able to pilot a vessel as large as a school bus, years before they'll get a permit to drive a car.




We had sailing lessons from 10 AM to 4 PM, almost all of that time on the water. It's strenuous activity being under the sun, keeping your balance and fighting against the pull of the wind on the sheets. At the end of the day, you are quite spent. One afternoon we combed the beach for shells. My eldest daughter, I'm pleased to learn, has a good eye with the camera.

If you're wondering when the workouts are going to appear in this post, I'm sorry to have to disappoint you. I did not do any training. The next installment, I promise, will be about trying to pick-up where I left off.

Hello, My Name Is

Confession time. I'm really bad with names. For some reason, it seems that I never listen to people when they first introduce themselves. Then somewhere in the middle of our conversation, when we've sort of built a little relationship, my brain kicks in and asks, "who the hell are you talking to?" At this point, I usually promise myself that I'll be more attentive next time.

Unlike forgetting the names of people you meet at a party, it pays to remember the names of people you'll be seeing on a regular basis. I think it's particularly important to establish a good rapport with people who may be slamming you into the mat, or rolling all over you. I don't want to be the guy who says, "High five, Dude, awesome ippon seionage!" Not that I'd ever say, "High five, Carlton, awesome ippon seionage," if there were a Carlton. Also, I want them to know my name so that they don't think of me as "The new douche who tries too hard." Hello, my name is Meguro.

New people I've met at Judo class:

Joe-a yellow belt
Eli-Green belt
Helen-a yellow belt
Usam-brown belt
Anthony-brown belt
Mike:-black belt