28 December 2007
Physical Measurements
Size Measurements
| Weight: |
|
85.9 kg |
| BMI: |
|
26.2 (Overweight) |
Strength Training
Weights
Lower Body Workout
This is Tim Goodwin’s warmup for the Drop a Jeans Size ’08 Challenge, which he wants us to start practising. I did this instead of the usual walk around.
Vertical Woodchop with Dumbbell
Tim just calls this a “Chop”. It seems very like a kettlebell swing, but with less drive from the hips.
By the end of the set, I was getting some drive from the hips. Given that I was going to do deadlifts, that’s probably a good thing.
Reverse Woodchop with Dumbbell
The standard reverse woodchop.
Dru Twist with Dumbbell
Tim calls this a “Torso Twist”. It’s basically the Yoga exercise I’ve always known as a Dru Twist (that’s the name Gordon used when he taught me, but I think he really meant “this is a twist I learnt from the Dru Yogis”). There’s a few minor differences: the arms are held in front (to hold a dumbbell) and the reverse drive through the hips is omitted.
Without the hip drive, the inertia of the dumbbell tended to twist the hips and upper legs. By the end of the set, I was adding in a partial hip drive to counter this.
An interesting popping noise from the lower thoracic spine while doing this—interesting as it’s normally the lower lumbar which goes snap, crackle, and pop.
Sagital Plane Leg Swings
Tim just calls this a “Leg Swing”. I’ve added the term sagital to specify in which plane the swinging is happening.
Took the first half dozen reps before the hips loosened up, after which this went well.
Frontal Plane Leg Swings
Tim calls this a “Lateral Leg Swing”. I’ve used the term frontal, which is the anatomical term for the plane in whic the leg is being swung.
Again it took five or six reps before the hips loosened up and the movement flowed.
This is the end of Tim’s warmup. It’s very quick, but my lower back didn’t feel properly warm, so I added…
Cat Pose
This is the Yoga posture Bidalasana done a faster than I would do it in a Yoga session.
This seemed to do the trick. I think I’ll do this before the woodchops next time.
Okay, on with the motley…
Hamstrings
Parallel Grip Deadlift with Shrug Bar
| Warmup |
|
45 kg x 10 |
|
Ok. |
| Warmup |
|
60 kg x 10 |
|
Ok. |
| Work Set |
|
72 [+1/4] kg x 20 |
|
Ok. |
Needed to reset my grip twice during this set, but there were no extra breaths between reps this time, although I was puffing like a steam train by the end.
Rader Chest Pull
Threw this in to help bring the breathing back under control.
Parallel Grip Deadlift with Shrug Bar
| Work Set |
|
91 [+1/2] kg x 5 |
|
Ok. |
Hip Flexor
Leg Pull with Low Cable
Back
Chin with Chin Stand
| Work Set |
|
0 [+75] kg x 15 |
|
x 7 |
Leg Pull with Low Cable
| Work Set |
|
141/8 [+1/8] kg x 15 |
|
Ok. |
Struggled with these, particularly the left leg.
Chin with Chin Stand
13 reps over two sets is as good as it has ever been. Went on and did the last two reps with just a short break.
Leg Pull with Low Cable
| Work Set |
|
18 [+1/4] kg x 5 |
|
x 6 |
Chin with Chin Stand
| Work Set |
|
3/8 [+1/8] kg x 5 |
|
Ok. |
Very slow going up for the last rep—almost static. Eventually I got my chin over the bar.
Chest
Dip with Dip Stand
Very scrappy towards the end. If the form had degenerated any more, I would have ended the set.
| Work Set |
|
101/4 [+1/8] kg x 5 |
|
Ok. |
Biceps
Bicep Curl with Barbell
| Warmup |
|
20 kg x 5 |
|
Ok. |
| Work Set |
|
221/2 [+1/4] kg x 15 |
|
Ok. |
A very scrappy, stop/go affair—I don’t own this weight.
| Work Set |
|
271/2 [+1/4] kg x 5 |
|
Ok. |
Obliques
Side Bend with Low Cable
| Warmup |
|
25 kg x 5 |
|
Ok. |
| Work Set |
|
361/4 [+1/4] kg x 15 |
|
Ok. |
| Work Set |
|
443/4 [+1/4] kg x 5 |
|
x 6 |
The handle moved slightly on me while doing the right side. Having your hand pinched between two bits of metal by almost 45 kg isn’t much fun.
Generally a good workout—I made some progress in most of the important lifts. Two things are holding me back: the lack of cardio fitness from the months off the bike, and the spare tyre I’m carrying (again courtesy of the time off the bike).
| Start: |
|
|
|
7:09 pm |
| Finish: |
|
|
|
8:13 pm |
| Time: |
|
1:00 |
|
1:04 |
Summary.
- 16 work sets.
- 6 made progress.
- 4 recovered lost ground.
- 3 succeeded.
- 1 remained the same.
- 1 failed.
- 11 warm-up and other non-work sets.
Flexibility Exercises
Yoga Exercises
Poses
- Parsvottanasana (Pyramid)
- Parighasana (Gate)
- Ustrasana (Camel)
- Ardha Matsyendrasana (Half Lord of the Fishes)
- Hasta Garudasana (Eagle Arms)
- Hasta Gomukhasana (Cow Face Arms)
- Baddha Konasana (Cobbler)
- Parivrtti Agnistambhasana (Revolved Fire Log)
Another interesting pop from the lower thoracic.
