Upper body day: Monday, April 25

Warm up: Arm swings, 20 per side
Warm up: Arm wall raise, x20
Warm up: Scapular push ups, x20

Pull up, set 1:
Pancho: 5 close grip
The Marmot: 15 wide grip
Pull up, set 2:
Pancho: 2 close grip
The Marmot: 9 wide grip
Pull up, set 3:
Pancho: 2 close grip
The Marmot: 5 wide grip

Overhead Press, set 1:
Pancho: 45lbs x 8
The Marmot: 45lbs x 15
Overhead Press, set 2:
Pancho: 50lbs x 5
The Marmot: 55lbs x 15
Overhead Press, set 3:
Pancho: 50lbs x 3
The Marmot: 65lbs x 12

Push up/abs, set 1:
Pancho: 15 push ups; 50 bicycle crunch; 50 regular crunch
The Marmot: 30 push ups; 50 bicycle crunch; 50 regular crunch
Push up/abs, set 2:
Pancho: 15 push ups; 50 bicycle crunch; 50 regular crunch
The Marmot: 10 push ups; 50 bicycle crunch; 50 regular crunch
Push up/abs, set 3:
 Pancho: 20 push ups; 50 bicycle crunch; 50 regular crunch
The Marmot: 10 push ups; 50 bicycle crunch; 50 regular crunch

Cable row/plank, set 1:
Pancho: 110lb row x 15; 30 sec plank
The Marmot: 200lb row x 15; 30 sec plank
Cable row/plank, set 2:
Pancho: 120lb row x 15; 30 sec plank
The Marmot: 200lb row x 15; 30 sec arms forward plank
Cable row/plank, set 3:
 Pancho: 130lb row x 10; 30 sec arms forward plank
The Marmot: 200lb row x 10; 30 sec plank


Shoulder pulley, hard:
Pancho: 3 sets per side @10lbs x 15
The Marmot: 3 sets per side @25lbs x 15

Shoulder pulley, easy:

Pancho: 3 sets per side @25lbs x 15

The Marmot: 3 sets per side @ 35lbs x 15

Fat bar grip work, set 1:

Pancho: 5 sec hang

The Marmot: 10 pull ups, hang

Fat bar grip work, set 2:

Pancho: 10 sec hang

The Marmot: 3 pull ups, 20 sec hang

Fat bar grip work, set 3:

 Pancho: 10 sec hang

The Marmot: 3 pull ups, 15 sec hang

OK, formatting is a little weird here. Figuring it out.

April 22 Workout and Some Thoughts

Warm up: Leg swings, side knee kick 10 per side (only faster and with a twisting motion with the arms going the opposite direction
Warm up: Toe-touch in-the-hole squats, x20
Warm up: Spiderman lunges, x20

Back Squat, set 1:
Pancho: 90lbs x 10
The Marmot: 140lbs x 10
Back Squat, set 2:
Pancho: 100lbs x 10
The Marmot: 160lbs x 10
Back Squat, set 3:
Pancho: 115lbs x 8
The Marmot: 185lbs x 8

Dead lift, set 1:
Pancho: 140lbs x 4, followed immediately by 10 unweighted explosive high jumps
The Marmot: 235lbs x 4, 10 high jumps (grip failed) --that's a bingo! 
Dead lift, set 2:
Pancho: 135lbs x 4, 10 high jumps
The Marmot: 235lbs x 1, 10 high jumps (grip)
Dead lift, set 3:
Pancho: 135lbs x 4, 10 high jumps
The Marmot: 215lbs x 5, 10 high jumps

Front Squat
Pancho: 55lbs x 10

Marmot:95lbs x 10
Front squat set 2
Pancho: 60lbs x 10
Marmot:105 x 10
Front squat set 3
Pancho: 65lbs x 10
Marmot:115lbs x 8

Overhead Press
Pancho: 45 lbs x 5
Marmot: 45 lbs x 5
  
One-leg leg press & plank, set 1:
Pancho: 10lbs x 15; 60 sec plank
The Marmot: 55lbs x 10; 60 sec plank
One-leg leg press & plank, set 2:
Pancho: 10lbs x 15; 60 sec plank
The Marmot: 55lbs x 10; 60 sec plank
One-leg leg press & plank, set 3:
Pancho: 10lbs x 15; 60 sec plank
The Marmot: 55lbs x 10; 60 sec plank

2-hand farmer carries (that is, holding a weight and walking):
Pancho: 25lb plates, 2 laps
The Marmot: 45lb plates, 2 laps

1-hand farmer carries:
Pancho: 25lbs plate, alternating hand per lap, 4 laps
The Marmot: 45lbs plate, alternating hand per lap, 4 laps

Overhead farmer's walk
Pancho: 25lbs plate
The Marmot: 45lbs plate

Bridge
Held for 10 seconds between 10 raises for 3 sets.  In other words, we would hold the bridge for 10 seconds, go down and come back up without pausing, and then hold it for another 10 seconds (repeat 10 times).  After each 10 repetitions we would do..

20 leg raises and then another set of the bridge

Then we went the hell home and ate a lot of chicken and vegetables...it was amazing.

Thoughts on the workout:
Talking to Pancho, I think the workout went great today, we went really deep on our squats and the overall energy was fantastic.  I managed to get to my 1rpm for deadlift (235 lbs) for a few reps. 
One major issue that's limiting the progress of my deadlifts is my grip strength.  In terms of  form and leg/back strength, I think I could go up to 240lbs for multiple reps, but one of my hands starts to slip.  This is both a problem in terms of focus and actually completing the lift.

I've done a tiny bit of research to see how to improve things and it looks like there are a few solutions, 1 mechanical and 3 involving strength training.  Pancho and I have known for a long time that competitive lifters prefer to have alternating grips, (one facing the body and one facing outwards) for deadlifts.  I've never felt comfortable with this so I stick to my less efficient inward grip.  I could try to change this and see if it offers any mechanical advantages.  However, I like this solution less because I always feel super imbalanced when I try it--but I should at least give it a good go a few times to see it if works (and if I get used to it).  The other options involve various grip workouts.  The  most common of these is to train with a thicker bar.  You can buy various bar thickeners which attach to whatever it is you're lifting to make things harder for your forearms.  One of the pull-up bars in the gym is already very thick, so hopefully that will help.  There is also stuff we're already doing like farmer carries etc.  Finally, there are things like "static holds" which is to just hold the bar with a lot of weight until failure. 

We might have to look into some bar thickener if my grip doesn't improve.  Though, we're going to continue with the farmer carries that we're doing and see if things get better.

Improvised Kettle Bell: An Experiment

Last night, the Marmot and I decided to try something new. We have been considering buying an adjustable-weight kettle bell for home use, but we wanted to try out the exercises before purchasing. The kettle bells at our gym are only available for use during personal trainer sessions, which is pretty messed up, both in not letting everyone have access to equipment AND training folks with equipment they'll only have access to if they keep paying for a personal trainer. I call shenanigans!

It was the Marmot's excellent idea to use what we have at home: a heavy-duty bag (similar to the one above) and our bocce balls. It has everything we need to approximate the training we'd be able to do with a kettle bell, without buying first. We could put in or take out the heavy resin balls to adjust the weight, and the bag is boxy enough and the handles are short enough to not even graze the ground on the lower part of the swing. Brilliant!

We first tried the kettle bell swing:

The Marmot went first, completing 20 swings with all of the bocce balls in the bag. I had less success; I took out some of the bocce balls, which meant the bag was less densely packed and the balls shifted and clanked through the swing. It felt unbalanced, and I had a series of horrible visions where the bag's seams suddenly exploded and the heavy balls manage to destroy our living room window, break my computer monitor and bash our poor sleeping cat. I stopped 7 swings into the routine a nervous wreck. Now that I'm thinking about it I could have stuffed the rest of the empty bag with a towel or shirt, but I was too anxious to think clearly.

Next, the Turkish Get Up:

We have read high praises again and again for the TGU as a great full-body exercise that is additionally useful to highlight any muscle imbalances, so we were eager to give it a try. For a second time, the Marmot had much more success than I did. We each did it once on each side for one set to practice, then a second set for 3 on each side, and a final set 5 of each side. Halfway through my last set, I realized that the part of the movement where your full body weight (+ the weight of the kettle bell) is resting on your heel and hand was exacerbating a minor wrist injury I thought I had fully recovered from. I (perhaps stupidly) finished the set anyway, and for the rest of the night my left wrist was throbbing.

For as frustrating as the experience was for me (exploding hypothetical windows! re-injured joints!), we learned a lot:

1. The weighted swing is awesome. Even only doing one set of 7, my glutes feel unexpectedly worked this morning. Right on!
2. The TGU is on the back burner for now. Even though we both felt Muscle-Man Strong while we were doing the lift, we both concluded that it's not worth continuing in the immediate future. My wrist needs ample time to heal, and this morning the Marmot complained of an asymmetrical lower-back strain. We might have started with too heavy a weight while we were learning the routine. It might be worth starting again later, but much more patiently.
3. Bocce balls should be used for playing bocce; maybe it could function as a really impractical paper weight, but not as a replacement for a kettle bell.

Upper body day: April 17

Yesterday's upper body work out day was a bit of a bust, since we were both still fatigued-to-sore in our backs and shoulders from our unusually intense lower body day two days prior. (Dead lifts and farmer carries back-to-back did us in!) We are trying to figure out how to better pace our lifts. We both value and enjoy lifting, and get a cathartic release from going to the gym frequently since our daily lives are otherwise relatively sedentary (save walking everywhere), but we clearly aren't resting enough if we were too sore to lift with reliable form. There's a lot to consider, and several different training philosophies competing for our attention. We're also reading and learning more about nutrition, and hope to find some solution soon.

Looking at our numbers, we still did fine. I did 2 more net unassisted pull ups than ever before, and 5 in my first set (vs 4 in my first set last time attempted). The Marmot did one more pull up in his first set than last time, and 5 more net push ups. However, we each went in with low energy and high frustration, making it less fulfilling an accomplishment than before.

Warm up: Arm swings, 20 per side
Warm up: Arm wall raise, x20
Warm up: Scapular push ups, x20

Pull up, set 1:
Pancho: 5 close grip, 5 assist @40lbs
The Marmot: 18 wide grip
Pull up, set 2:
Pancho: 2 close grip, 8 assist @40lbs
The Marmot: 8 wide grip
Pull up, set 3:
Pancho: 1 close grip, 9 assist @40lbs
The Marmot: 5 wide grip

Push up/abs, set 1:Pancho: (goal max per set @ full depth) 7 push ups; 50 bicycle crunch; 50 regular crunch
The Marmot: 30 push ups; 50 bicycle crunch; 50 regular crunch
Push up/abs, set 2:
Pancho: (goal max per set @ full depth) 10 push ups; 50 bicycle crunch; 50 regular crunch
The Marmot: 25 push ups; 50 bicycle crunch; 50 regular crunch
Push up/abs, set 3:Pancho: (goal max per set @ full depth) 8 push ups; 50 bicycle crunch; 50 regular crunch
The Marmot: 20 push ups; 50 bicycle crunch; 50 regular crunch

Cable row/plank, set 1:Pancho: 110lb row x 15; 30 sec plank
The Marmot: 200lb row x 15; 30 sec plank
Cable row/plank, set 2:Pancho: 120lb row x 15; 30 sec plank
The Marmot: 200lb row x 15; 30 sec arms forward plank
Cable row/plank, set 3:Pancho: 130lb row x 10; 30 sec arms forward plank
The Marmot: 200lb row x 10; 30 sec plank

Pull up v 2:
Pancho: wide grip, 65lb assist x 7: shoulder pop, stop
The Marmot: close grip, x5: shoulder pop, stop

Tricep cable pull-down, rope & Y-bar, no rest, set 1:Pancho: rope 60lbs x 10, Y-bar 70lbs x 10
The Marmot: rope 90lbs x 10, Y-bar 110lbs x 10
Tricep cable pull-down, rope & Y-bar, no rest, set 1:
Pancho: rope 50lbs x 10, Y-bar 60lbs x 10
The Marmot: rope 80lbs x 10, Y-bar 100lbs x 10
Tricep cable pull-down, rope & Y-bar, no rest, set 1:
Pancho: rope 40lbs x 10, Y-bar 50lbs x 10
The Marmot: rope 70lbs x 10, Y-bar 90lbs x 10
Shoulder pulley, hard:
Pancho: 3 sets per side @10lbs x 15
The Marmot: 3 sets per side @25lbs x 15

Shoulder pulley, easy:
Pancho: 3 sets per side @25lbs x 15
The Marmot: 3 sets per side @ 35lbs x 15

Goals

It's important for me to write out my fitness goals so as to both monitor how I've advanced and to keep sight of where I want to be.  With that in mind it's also important to break down my fitness goals into those things I want to accomplish during the workout, goals after the work out, and various incremental long term goals.

Goals during workouts:
1) My chief intention is to maintain a positive attitude while also being mindful of my limitations.  In other words, I should push myself without hurting myself.

Means of attainment:
1) I think with Pancho's help I can avoid overextending myself while keeping the pressure up. She is a great motivator and helps me safely push myself.

Goals immediately (as much as possible) after a workout:
1) Eat a lot of lean protein (cheaply)
2) Use the foam roller + tennis ball

Means of attainment:
1) Prepare meals ahead of time with Pancho.  We've got this down pretty well.
2) Make sure to take time before going to bed--i.e., stop watching British sci-fi comedies and roll.

Goals in the short term:
Push-ups: 50 without rest---current 40
Wide Arm Pull-ups: 20 without rest---current 17
Squat 1rpm: 1.5x body weight (now at 240lbs)---current 175x7 reps
Deadlift 1rpm: 1.5x body weight (now at 240lbs)---current 230x5 reps
Weighted carry: 2 laps with 55lbs in both hands---current 2 laps with 45lbs
One arm Weighted Carry: alternating 4 laps with 55--current alt 4 laps with 45lbs

Goals in the long term:
Pushups: 100 without rest
Wide Arm Pull-ups: 50 without rest
Squat 1rpm: 2x bodyweight (now at 320lbs)
Deadlift 1rpm: 2x bodyweight (now at 320lbs)
Weighted carry: 2 laps with 75 in both hands
One arm Weighted Carry: alt 4 laps with 75

Qualitatively speaking:

I would like to increase my strength while only increasing lean muscle.  Weight and speed a less of concerns, though at some point I might want to do power training. I like the idea of being able to do hopping push-ups: This looks neat!

Means of attainment:
Overall, I think both the short and long term goals are possible if I avoid injury and keep up my protein  intake.  Pancho recently ordered Starting Strength, which I think will help us with both injury prevention and strength gains.  I think we'll have to be a bit more systematic with the "how much" and "when" of our program beyond the low level periodization that we currently are using.  So long as we're making gains, I think our current method works.  

Lower body: April 15

Warm up: Leg swings, 20 per side
Warm up: Toe-touch in-the-hole squats, x20
Warm up: Spiderman lunges, x20

Back Squat, set 1:
Pancho: 85lbs x 10
The Marmot: 135lbs x 10
Back Squat, set 2:
Pancho: 95lbs x 10
The Marmot: 155lbs x 10
Back Squat, set 3:
Pancho: 105lbs x 5
The Marmot: 175lbs x 7

Dead lift, set 1:
Pancho: 135lbs x 4, followed immediately by 10 unweighted explosive high jumps
The Marmot: 185lbs x 10, 10 high jumps
Dead lift, set 2:
Pancho: 115lbs x 8, 10 high jumps
The Marmot: 205lbs x 7, 10 high jumps
Dead lift, set 3:
Pancho: 115lbs x 5, 10 high jumps
The Marmot: 230lbs x 5, 10 high jumps

One-leg leg press & plank, set 1:
Pancho: 10lbs x 10; 60 sec plank
The Marmot: 50lbs x 10; 60 sec plank
One-leg leg press & plank, set 2:
Pancho: 10lbs x 10; 60 sec plank
The Marmot: 50lbs x 10; 60 sec plank
One-leg leg press & plank, set 3:
Pancho: 10lbs x 10; 60 sec plank
The Marmot: 50lbs x 10; 60 sec plank


2-hand farmer carries (that is, holding a weight and walking):
Pancho: 25lb plates, 2 laps
The Marmot: 45lb plates, 2 laps

1-hand farmer carries:
Pancho: 25lb plate, alternating hand per lap, 4 laps
The Marmot: 45lb plate, alternating hand per lap, 4 laps

Push to fatigue:
Pancho: Front squat w bar (45lbs) to fatigue, 10 squats
The Marmot: Arm-extended front squats w 25lb plate, 15 squats

Pancho: Back raise x 25
The Marmot: Back raise x 25

Pancho: 15 high jumps (knees to chest)
The Marmot: 15 box jumps (onto lifting bench)

Marmot Excitement

SO EXCITED!

Pancho here; after some more careful nutrition tracking,
I am on Day 2 of (finally, apparently) eating enough protein.
By the end of yesterday I felt like I was force-feeding myself.
Today? I have never felt so full of energy!
Everything deserves an exclamation mark!
MARMOT!

Pancho's Training Goals

My strength training goals are oriented towards functional fitness (as opposed to an aesthetically motivated weight loss goal, or intense Strong Man goals). I consider myself relatively functionally fit; I ride my bike to work 9 miles round-trip every day, I can carry heavy groceries home from the store, and if I have to run for an emergency I can sprint without getting winded. Although I can endure anything daily life would regularly require with my current level of fitness, gaining strength beyond basic daily necessity has profound long-term functional health consequences. Studies show that strength training can help prevent Alzheimer's, cardiac disease, diabetes and other chronic health problems. It is good for your heart and lungs, and has huge benefits for long-term bone density.

Though my broad reason for lifting is for long term health, it is motivating to have specific short-term and long-term goals to work towards. My current status, and goals:

• Current: 4 unassisted close-grip pull ups
  
• Soon: 10 unassisted close-grip pull ups
• Eventually: 10 unassisted wide-grip pull up

• Current: 20 half-depth push ups in one set
  
• Soon: 10 full-depth push ups in one set
  
• Eventually: 25 full-depth push ups in one set

• Current: Dead lift 135lbs 3 times
  
• Soon: Dead lift 135lbs 10 times (that is, the bar + 45lb plates on each side)
• Eventually: Dead lift 210lbs 3 times (that is, 1.5x my current 140lb body weight)

• Current: Power clean with 20lb bar, inconsistent form
• Soon: Power clean with 45lb bar, consistent form
• Eventually: Power clean 95lbs (45lb bar + 25lb plates)

Wish me luck and strength!

Upper body day: April 13

Warm up: 20 shoulder rolls, both arms, forward & backward

Pull ups, set 1:
Pancho: Close grip x 4, assisted @40lbs x 10
The Marmot: Wide grip x 17
Pull ups, set 2:
Pancho: Close grip x 2, assisted @40lbs x 6
The Marmot: Wide grip x 11
Pull ups, set 3:
Pancho: Close grip x 0 (2 failed attempts), assisted @ 40lbs x 6
The Marmot: Wide grip x 9

Push ups (goal: 50 total) & abs, set 1:
Pancho: 20 push ups, 50 bicycle crunch, 50 regular crunch
The Marmot: 40 push ups, 50 bicycle crunch, 50 regular crunch
Push ups & abs, set 2:
Pancho: 15 push ups, 50 bicycle crunch, 50 regular crunch
The Marmot: 15 push ups, 50 bicycle crunch, 50 regular crunch
Push ups & abs, set 3:
Pancho: 15 push ups, 50 bicycle crunch, 50 regular crunch
The Marmot: 15 push ups, 50 bicycle crunch, 50 regular crunch

One hand seated cable row & Plank, set 1:
Pancho: 15 reps per side @ 40lbs; normal plank @60 sec
The Marmot: 15 reps per side @ 80lbs; leg-raise plank @60 sec
One hand seated cable row & Plank, set 2:
Pancho: 15 reps per side @ 45lbs; normal plank @60 sec
The Marmot: 15 reps per side @90lbs; normal plank @30sec, arms forward plank @30sec
One hand seated cable row & Plank, set 3:
Pancho: 12 reps per side @55lbs; leg-raise plank @60sec (6 sets of 10sec leg-raise)
The Marmot: 12 reps per side @100lbs; leg-raise plank @30sec, arms forward plank @30sec

Pull ups v 2: set 1
Pancho: Wide grip assisted @ 70lbs x 10
The Marmot: Mid grip x 7
Pull ups v 2: set 2
Pancho: Wide grip assisted @ 60lbs x 10
The Marmot: Mid grip x 5
Pull ups v 2: set 3
Pancho: Wide grip assisted @ 55lbs x 8
The Marmot: Mid grip x 3

Side plank:
Pancho: 3 sets per side @ 30 second hold (40 sec for last set)
The Marmot: 3 sets per side @ 60 second hold

Shoulder pulley, hard:
Pancho: 3 sets per side @10lbs x 15
The Marmot: 3 sets per side @20lbs x 15

Shoulder pulley, easy:
Pancho: 3 sets per side @25lbs x 15
The Marmot: 3 sets per side @ 35lbs x 15

Final blow-out: Fat Pull-Up bar
Pancho: L-hang for 11sec; L-hang for 9 sec; L-hang for 3 sec
The Marmot: 10 pull ups close grip; 5 pull ups close grip; 4 pull ups close grip