Down And Dirty

KB SWINGS / WALKING LUNGES

(35lb x15 / 35lb ea. hand x6 ea. leg) 2x

KB PUSH PRESS / WALKING LUNGES

(35lb x6 ea. / 35lb ea. hand x7 ea. leg) 2x

KB SHRUGS / CALF RAISES

(35lb ea. hand x10 / 35lb ea. hand x10) 3x

KB DEADLIFT / HIGH PULL

(55lb x10) 3x

KB BENT ROW / GROUND PRESS

35lb x10 ea. / 35lb x5 ea.

35lb x5 ea. (wide row) / 35lb x5 ea.

DOUBLE KB DEADLIFT

[70lb (35 ea. hand) x10] 3x

••••••••••

Today was a work day so I wasn't able to work out until this evening. The air was relatively comfortable though; it was nice. I've enjoyed working out outside with my bells and I want to keep it going as long as the weather holds up. The only issue with tonight was that the mosquitos started coming out towards the end. Ok, so maybe that wasn't the only issue. See, we have an adorable little bunny that has taken a liking to us and our yard. I don't mind too much - he stays away from my garden and in exchange, I feed him treats. He's getting used to me and I'm almost at the point of physical contact! That being said, he leaves his own little treats all over my yard. Great for the grass, and the dog seems to enjoy them (gag), but it makes it difficult to find an empty spot to use to do my ground presses. Ground presses are basically a floor press, but, you know, on the ground. Needless to say, I'm pretty sure I laid on some rabbit turds. Maybe it'll help my muscles grow. I'll let you know.

All in all, I'm pleased with tonight, it was a good little workout that got my heart pumping and my blood flowing. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to wash the "eau de turd" smell from my back.

Don't Throw Shade On My Kettlebells

KB SWINGS

(35lb x10) 3x

KB PUSH PRESS

(35lb x5) ea. arm

KB SINGLE CARRY / ALTERNATING STEP UPS

35lb x45' / 5 ea leg

KB PUSH PRESS

(35lb x5) ea arm

KB SINGLE CARRY / ALTERNATING STEP UPS

35lb x45' (opposite arm from previous) / 5 ea leg 

KB PUSH PRESS

(35lb x5) ea arm.

KB DOUBLE CARRY / ALTERNATING STEP UPS

(35lb x45' / 3 ea. leg)

**I did that whole shebang twice**

KB SWINGS

(55lb x10) 3x

KB SINGLE RACK CARRY

(55lb x45') 4x 

KB GORILLA ROWS

55lb x5 ea side

KB DEAD LIFT

55lb x5

KB LUNGE ROWS

55lb x5 ea side

KB DEADLIFT

55lb x5

FINISHED WITH LOTS OF STRETCHES!

••••••••••

I'm fairly certain that my notes are accurate. How sad is it that I can't remember exactly what I did?! This is what happens when I don't write it down as I go! The step ups were done on a log that's probably between 16" - 18" high. I didn't measure it it just looked like a good stump. 

I'm not strong enough yet to do much overhead stuff with the 55lb KB so I worked my shoulders and upper back with it. I'm close to being able to press it. So close. 

Because I've had so much whiplash, and my SI joint is so out of whack, any sort of training really screws with my muscle tension. Since I did those heavy carries on Friday, I've been beyond tight and suffering with headaches. It's not the normal muscle soreness from use, it's the angry tightness of unbalance. So I made sure to do some really good stretching after I was finished today and I'll be taking some preemptive ibuprofen here in a few.

One of the things I enjoy about working out either in my yard, or the field is that the ground is uneven and the stump is uneven. Now, I tried to get the most level stump I could and set it so that it was stable, but there's still inevitably going to be a little slant here and there. But all that unevenness really helps to get all of your  stabilizer muscles firing. It also means that you have to slow down a little and be more deliberate in your movements. Plus, it's just nice to be outside! Today was sooooo much better than Friday anyhow. The humidity has dropped to the upper 50's so you don't feel the weight of the air on you anymore. It's warm, maybe upper 70's, so the heat isn't baking you either. I found a nice shady spot under the weeping cherry to do most of the stuff and it was lovely. It's never a good thing to throw shade, unless your a tree.

Frank said he was glad that I was getting my willpower back and that I didn't let myself give up. That one sentence boosted me more than any motivational speech or quote or meme. As long as I'm making that man proud, I'm good. I can do all of this for myself, and I suppose that I do. But there's also something to be said for making the important people in your life proud - your tribe, your clan, your people. I think we all need at least one person to be proud of us and to make us feel like what we're doing matters to someone other than ourselves. So it was good to hear it from him!

And now, with that work out of the way, I can go do really fun stuff; like laundry. Yeah.....woo.

This is where I grow my bells 😁😎

HEAVY CARRIES:

Double Racked KB

(35lb x150') 2x

Suitcase Carry

(35lb x150') 2x

Suitcase / Waiter's Carry

(35lb x150') 2x, switching arms

Suitcase Carry

(55lb x150') 2x, switching arms

Sandbag Carry

100lb x100'

100lb x150'

**********

And as always, part of my workout is carrying everything out and then back in again. Although I have to confess that the bag is still out back. I just couldn't do anymore. It was 82° and the humidity was at 74%. I was exhausted. I don't regret doing this today, but I now have an enormous headache. So i'm in my bedroom with the AC on and i'm waiting for this miserable heat wave to break. 

Frustrated

BENCH:

1.5 Reps (bottom range) / DB Rows

55lb x10 / 45lb x5 

65lb x10 / 45lb x5

75lb x6 / 45lb x5

••••••••••

DB Bench / Tri. Cable Pulldowns

25lb x10 / 40lb x10

35lb x5 / 60lb x5, x5

45lb FAIL

••••••••••

CORE:

(Bird Dog Zipper x10 ea. side / Standing Knee to Elbow x10 ea. side)

••••••••••

Not a lot got done tonight. I let my frustration get the better of me. I need to find a solution because this isn't productive. I have nothing else to say.

Pyramid Scheme

WARM UP:

DB SHRUGS:

30lb x50

GOBLET SQUATS:

25lb DB x15

30lb DB x10

35lb KB x5

30lb x10

25lb x15

SINGLE LEG RDL:

20lb KB x15

25lb DB x10

35lb KB x5

25lb x10

20lb x15

BANDED SQUATS:

Purple Band x10

Green Band x10

Blue Band x10

Green Band x10

Purple Band x10

CORE WORK:

(Hollow Body Hold x10 seconds) 3x

(Superman x10 seconds) 3x

••••••••••

It was a late workout tonight. I still don't like working out after dinner, but it's what we settled on so that we can both work together. Was it the heaviest weight I've ever moved? Hell no. But it was a pretty decent workout with our little pyramids. I've always liked pyramids. 

I will admit that the core stuff could've been a little more intense but I'd had enough by then. Oh well. I'm old and it's almost my bedtime!

It's Over My Head

WARM UP:

DB SHRUGS: 30lbs (ea.) x50

SEATED DB OVERHEAD PRESS:

15lb x12

25lb x5

15lb x12

25lb x4

15lb x12

SEAL ROWS:

25lb x20

35lb x10

45lb x5

SEATED REVERSE FLIES:

(15lb x10) 3x

FACE PULLS / CHEST PULLS:

Purple Band x10 / x10

Green Band x10 / x10

CORE WORK:

(Pushups x15 / Hanging Knee Raise x15 / Mountain Climbers x15 / Butterfly Kicks x15) 2x

••••••••••

About a week and a few days ago, Frank and I decided that enough was enough. After realizing that health was going to be a major issue if we didn't make some effectual changes, we altered our total way of eating. I've been tracking macros, adhering to strict portion controls, cutting ALL processed junk food and white sugar. In doing that alone I'm down about 11 pounds and I believe Frank is around the same. Tonight we worked out. We're aiming at every other day to start. It's hard to say that I've noticed an uptick in energy, but I guess if I'm honest, I'm a little less sluggish. I have noticed that my skin has cleared up. Veggies do wonders for skin.

Tracking our food is a chore. It's an enormous P.I.T.A. but it's the only way that I was going to make proper changes. To truly see just how much I was overeating was humbling and shameful, really. But I'm not looking back at the mistakes, I'm looking ahead to the successes and to being healthier than we've been in awhile. 

Nowhere to go but up (or down, in the case of the scale. wink wink)

Lower The Bar (And Raise It Too)

BOX (BENCH) SQUATS:

Bar x10

95lb x10

115lb x8

135lb x6

155lb x3 (belt popped off)

(175lb x2) 3x, 3 minute rest between sets

135lb x8 (max effort)

95lb x10 (max effort)

BAND PRONE HAMSTRING CURLS:

(Purple Band x15) 3x

(Purple Band, 10 second hold) x5

BANDED SQUATS:

(Purple Band x10) 3x

••••••••••

The past few days have seen A LOT of joint pain, neck pain and hip pain. For some reason, however, I had the urge to squat. I knew, though, that there was no way I could do standard squats so I opted for box squats. Or, in my case, bench squats. They felt pretty good. And I have to say that I'm pleased with getting the 175lb. It's the most weight that I've had on my back in around a year so there won't be any complaints from me today. The hamstring curls were a bit of an experiment. I looked up suggestions on how to do them and all the videos I found, like this one show them done on the floor with the band around a rack. The rug down in the dungeon is in no condition to be laid on, so I wrapped the band around the bench and did them laying on the bench. This means I had to double up the band to make it short enough to have resistance. The purple band, as it stands is 40-80lb resistance. I have no idea what tat means if it's doubled (not sure if it actually doubles the weight, I'm thinking not). The banded squats are also called Spanish Squats. You can see them here .

I'm feeling pretty good right now, a little bit of pain in my left knee, but not too bad (less than when I jog) and my left hip / SI joint is a little pinchy. All in all, nothing that will sideline me for the rest of the day. 

Right now, I'm going to get food then do some crafts for my Etsy shop. Happy Thursday!