Scrumhalf's functional fitness workout log

[Scrumhalf]

Rest day today.

Notes:

1. Weight is pretty constant at about 132 lbs (yes, I am not a typical SM guy).

2. Strength is slowly improving. Weighted pullups are helping a lot to a point that I can go well above chin level when doing bodyweight pullups. Can a muscleup be in the cards for 2010? Only time will tell :)

3. Diet is at maintenance, very clean. 1 meal on the weekend at a restaurant but other than that, homecooked.

4. Sleep - typically about 5-6 hours. Go to bed at 10pm. Wake up at about 3:30 to 4am.

5. Workout in the mornings at around 5:30am. Preworkout: 1 cup black coffee, 1 scoop protein shake, 1/2 cup oatmeal. PWO - 2 scoops protein shake, some kind of carbs - whole wheat toast usually.

6. I am definitely getting leaner. 6-pack showing clearly - lots of vascularity on arms and chest. Starting to see striations on lats.

7. Running is getting easier. New shoes working well. Also focusing on midfoot strikes instead of heel strikes has really eliminated my ankle pain that had stymied previous attempts at consistent running. Need to add intervals to improve speed. Goal is 7 min/mile.

8. I need to include swimming into my workout schedule. Haven't quite figured out how to make everything fit.... so many goals, not enough time. :)


Thoughts, comments, inputs welcome.

[Scrumhalf]

Saturday 4/17/10:

Push Day:

Summary: Absolutely kickass workout!! :weights:

Chest/Shoulder/Tris:

DB Incline Press: 2 light warmup sets, then 55x9, 60x9, 65x7, 65x6 (PR) :thumup:

DB Military Press: 1 light warmup set, then 45x7, 45x6, 45x5 (PR) :thumup:

Weighted Dips: BW, 45x6, 50x5, 55x4

Close Grip Barbell Bench: 105x8, 115x7, 115x6 (PR) :thumup:

Frog Stand (1st step in the planche progression): Held position for total of 1 minute in 5 attempts (10-15 seconds each).

Core Work:

Did my usual circuit (5 rounds) of the following:

1. Weighted Hyperextensions with 25 lb plate - 10 reps
2. Russian twists with 20lb medicine ball on decline bench - 10 reps
3. Weighted crunches on swiss ball with 55lb and 65lb dumbbells - 10 reps (PR) :thumup:

Finished with 2 sets of chinnies - 50 reps and 70 reps.


Notes:

1. Great workout, PRs left and right!!

2. I am definitely getting stronger. I always have a hard time on the incline press getting the dumbbells into position although I can then handle the weight for reps. Today however, I kicked up the 65lb dumbbells into position like they were 25s... lol..

3. 45lb dumbbells for DB shoulder press felt good. Didn't have any trouble with those.

4. Close grip bench press felt good. i felt comfortable moving up to 115lbs. Might try to bump up to 125lbs in a couple of workouts and see how it goes.

5. Frog stands are hard. It took me 5 attempts to add up to a 1 minute hold. I think it is because I did it at the end when I was pretty tired. I'll try to do it first next time just to see how I do when I am fresh. Need to keep working on this one.

6. Weighted crunches are feeling so easy now. My core is like a rock. I moved up to 55lbs and it felt easy. Some other guy was using the 60s, so I moved up to 65lbs and managed to crank out 10 reps for 4 circuits. Sweet!!


Bottom Line:

1. Getting stronger
2. Leaning out noticeably. Lower abs coming in. Obliques standing out.
3. At 43, never looked and felt better!!! I don't know if this represents middle-aged bad-assness or I was just a wuss when I was younger.. lol....

[Scrumhalf]

Monday 4/19/10

Ran intervals today.

Run 10 min. to local high school track.

Ran 15 seconds flat out sprint, 45 seconds recovery x 10

Ran back home at easy cooldown pace.

Notes:

1. I decided to add intervals for increasing my running speed as well as for fat loss.

2. I'm starting at 15/45 for now - will increase the length of the hard phase as my stamina increases.

Comments, feedback welcome! :)

[3v1lj03]

Looking good that is some strong pressing. It's something about 43 I am 43 also strongest I have ever been in my life.

[Scrumhalf]

Thanks man! While I feel good about where I am, I do wish I had been more dedicated during my 20s and 30s... I played a lot of rugby when I was younger and while I did well, I could have been a lot better if I had paid more attention to my conditioning.

[Scrumhalf]

Wednesday 4/21/10

Pull Workout:

Weighted pullups: BWx6, BWx6, +15x5, +20x5, +25x3, +30x2
DB Rows: 65x7, 70x5, 70x5, 70x5 (PR)
DB Shrugs: 85x7, 85x7
BB Curls: 70x5, 70x5, 70x5

Core Circuit (5 cycles):
- Hyperextensions with 25lb plate: 10 reps
- Russian twists on decline bench with 20lb medicine ball: 10 reps
- Weighted crunches on swiss ball with 70lb dumbbell: 10 reps (PR)

Finished with 2 sets of chinnies (50 reps each) and a plank held for 90 sec.

Notes:

1. PR on DB rows. 70lb DBs felt good. These were done with strict form, imagining hooks for forearms - pulling only with lats and no cheating.
2. PR on weighted crunches. 70lb dumbbells felt just right. The last 2 reps were hard with them. I'll bump it up to 75lbs next time and see how it feels. It's amazing - just a couple of months ago, I was struggling with 25lb dumbbells for crunches.
3. Tomorrow is run day. My legs are still sore from the intervals I ran on Monday. We'll see how they feel tomorrow morning.

Comments, inputs, advice always welcome! :)

[the art of war]

good stuff man - I just had my sled workouts, I hate that sled!!

I honestly would be so amazed to see how you responded if you ate meat and frankly, how you'd respond to aas - but as is your body is in great shape and the progress report is proving it. Props bro.

[Scrumhalf]

Thursday 4/22/10:

Ran 3.09 miles today in about 22:30.

Notes:

1. Had only 30 minutes today today due to a late start, so had to cut my 4.5 mile run short.

2. Need to work on my speed. The intervals will help. 7 minutes and change per mile is nothing to brag about.

3. Focused on front foot strikes as heel strikes bother my ankle. Will definitely feel it in my calves tomorrow... :)

[the art of war]

what surface do you run on bro ? My biggest problem used to be shin splints - but I ran of correct surfaces and eventually that went away - now it's just lugging my bloated ass around lol :P.

[Scrumhalf]

Right now, I am running on pavement for my long runs and on a high school track (whatever soft surface that is) for my intervals.

My 43 year old joints don't like the pavement but that's all I've got for now - I hate running indoors with a passion and I'll never do it. Cold/rain, etc. doesn't bother me - I run anytime of the year outdoors and in the PNW, that means you need to be willing to get cold and wet a lot... lol...

I need to look into trail running, but I hate getting into the car to go somewhere to run. It's a lot easier to just get out of the house and run, and I have a high school which is about a 10 minute run from my house.

How about you - what surface did you run on to get your shin splints under control? For me, it's my knees and ankles - they tend to get sore due to the pounding. My ankle does not bother me much any more after I changed shoes and started focusing on mid-foot and front-foot strikes, but my knee is still not too thrilled about the hard surface.

[Scrumhalf]

Friday 4/23/10

Push Workout

(Light workout + some gymnastic progressions)


1. Frog stand (1st step in the planche progression): Did 1 minute in 2 reps (best performance yet)

2. Tuck Front Lever (1st step in the front lever progression): Did 1 minute in 2 reps (best performance yet)

3. Weighted dips (went hard on this one): BW x 8, 45x6, 55x5, 65x4, 70x3 (PR)

4. Pushups: 3 sets, 1 rep short of failure

5. Diamond pushups: 3 sets, 1 rep short of failure

6. Close Grip Bench Press: 95x7, 105x6, 105x6

Notes:

1. Did a light workout today as I was short on time. It was nice to give my shoulder joints a break.. :)

2. The gymnastic progressions are getting easier. It also helped that I did them first, but I have never managed to do the 1 minute in just 2 attempts, going up to 45 seconds for the first attempt. I don't think it should be too long before I can do them in just one attempt and then it's time to move to the next movement in the progression.

3. Went hard on dips and felt strong. Did 3 reps with 70 lbs which is over 50% of my BW. Felt good about dips at over 150% of BW.. :thumup:

4. Felt weaker than usual on the pushups and struggled to get over 30 reps - not good. I can easily get over 40 when fresh. Perhaps the dips took a lot out of me.

5. Not a bad workout overall. Didn't get to do core though - might need to hit it tomorrow after doing intervals.

Comments, feedback welcome! :)

[ROCKETW19]

how much rest in between sets of pull ups when you were doing 100? also you feel the weighted is better than doing 100 pull ups.
have you tried the pull ups where you move side to side while up?

[Scrumhalf]

When I was doing 100, I would go to near failure, do crunches for 60 seconds, jump back and do as many as I can, again do crunches for 60 seconds and so on until I got to 100 total. It is an old marine workout to increase your pullup count. The 100 pullup routine is great for endurance.

I haven't done that in a while, as a goals are less on pullup endurance (since I am not shooting for getting in the armed forces) and more on strength. I am therefore focusing on weighted pullups. Weighted pullups are good for developing strength and that's my main focus these days. I want to build up to where I can do a one-hand pullup and you need to develop some serious strength to do that.

I have been sticking to conventional pullups for now (palms facing away from me) but I plan on switching between them and chinups, towel pullups and commando pullups just for some variety. I haven't done the side to side thing, although I might try it one of these days.

[the art of war]

Right now, I am running on pavement for my long runs and on a high school track (whatever soft surface that is) for my intervals.

My 43 year old joints don't like the pavement but that's all I've got for now - I hate running indoors with a passion and I'll never do it. Cold/rain, etc. doesn't bother me - I run anytime of the year outdoors and in the PNW, that means you need to be willing to get cold and wet a lot... lol...

I need to look into trail running, but I hate getting into the car to go somewhere to run. It's a lot easier to just get out of the house and run, and I have a high school which is about a 10 minute run from my house.

How about you - what surface did you run on to get your shin splints under control? For me, it's my knees and ankles - they tend to get sore due to the pounding. My ankle does not bother me much any more after I changed shoes and started focusing on mid-foot and front-foot strikes, but my knee is still not too thrilled about the hard surface.

pavement killed me bro - I took to hiking again, run on a dirt path around my house sprints back and forth, low impact - high - whatever - has to be outside, I cannot stand running at the gym either man.. just do what I'm told on treadmills when i have to - my own gig is all outdoors.

[Scrumhalf]

Yeah, I need to start trail running. The problem is that I live in the middle of the city and I hate having to drive to work out. My gym is about 200 yards from my house, so right now I can just jump out of my house and start my workout in seconds. I don't like the thought of having to drive a few miles to get to a trail.