You’re doing just fine without a training partner.
@biker Thanks. I’ve done most of my training solo over the years, so this is nothing new to me.
Thursday 3/30/17
Deadlift
135x5
225x5
315x3
405x3
495x1
545x1
495x3
405x3
DB Press
3 sets of 8
Lat PD
3 sets of 10
KB Press
1 set
Bands
a few sets
Notes: My left shoulder is not 100%. It doesn’t hurt bad, but it feels really weak and stiff. Another pretty mediocre workout.
Monday 4/3/17
Squat
135x5
225x5
315x3
405x5
315x10
Leg Curls SS with Leg extensions
5 sets of 10
Kettlebell Swings - 88 pounder
5
10
15
20
25
Notes: 30 minutes.
Tuesday 4/4/17
BW 288
Bench Press
95x8
135x5
185x5
225x3
245x1
275x4
225x5
225x5
225x5
Barbell Rows
135x10
225x10
225x10
225x10
Dips
3 sets of 5
Cable Rows
3 sets of 12
Facepulls supersetted with overhead tricep cable extentions
3 sets of 12
Band Pull-aparts
5 sets of many
Curls
3 sets of 10
Notes: Bench was pretty weak but I did a lot of work tonight. I think there is an issue with my left delt. It doesn’t hurt unless I’m doing overhead. Even then it doesn’t hurt too bad, it just feels stiff and weak. And that’s a good way to describe my bench right now. Stiff and weak. But no real pain so I’m doing okay.
Tuesday 4/6/17
Deadlift
KB warm-up
245x5
315x3
405x3
495x1
545x1
585x1
405x5
405x5
Hamstring curls with bands
3 sets of 12
Cybex
20 minutes
Notes: Cardio.
1 Like
I’ve been trying warmup w/kettlebell this week. When I’m not dead tired it’s a good warmup.
@biker Nice! I did it yesterday because I was late getting in and just wanted to get moving while the PL’ers finished up on the platform. But it seemed to do the trick and I may use it more in the future. You can definitely fire your whole body up fast with a kettlebell.
Friday 4/7/17
Press
95x2
Nope. Left delt is still not on board with overhead work. So I just did a bunch of light stuff
Dips
Chins
Rear delt pulls, kinda like a face pull but lower
Lat PD
Shoulder raise
Band pull-aparts
That’s it for today. Happy weekend!
Monday 4/10/17
Deload
Squats - all paused 2 sec+
135x5
225x5
315x5
Bench Press - all paused 2 sec+
105x5
145x5
195x5
A set of 20 rows
Notes: Super fast workout.
Today (Tuesday) I dusted off a really old hobby, playing my first Magic, The Gathering game in over 20 years. It was fun and I’m going to get back into it. I’m not going to sweat the fact that my old collection would be worth about 20 grand if I hadn’t sold it all off for weed money back in the mid-nineties. That’s water under the bridge now, time to get back into the game.
Everybody wants to be a nerd until it is time to do what nerds do.
I also signed up for an entirely new hobby today (Tuesday). I’m going to my first Jiu Jitsu class next Monday.
I’m prepared for a humbling experience.
4 Likes
Tuesday 4/18/17
DL EMOM Challenge
135x5
225x5
315x3
405x1
28 more of those, every minute, on the minute.
405x10
39 total reps at 405. This was pretty hard and I’m feeling it today.
Jiu-Jitsu starts tomorrow!
1 Like
Crazy awesome stuff !
Enjoy the log (creeped hard as it was slow at work, ha) well done with DL challenge, along with the rest of it. Keep on keepin’ on!
D
@OldGoat Thank you! It wasn’t quite enough to beat the young skinny fellas in the challenge thread, but I’m pretty pleased with how I did. I also got a nice introduction to a half-hour long emom type workout. Great way to keep the heart rate up!
@Despade Thank you and your challenge performance was also very well-done. My respect goes out to anyone who even signed themselves up for 30 minutes of suck.
Thursday 4/20/17
First Jiu-Jitsu class.
90 minutes. It was very challenging and humbling. I REALLY enjoyed it. I cut a check for my gi and I’m committing to learning this skill for at least the short and medium term. I’d really like to gain competency in this art. Good for bouncing and good for me.
My lifting will be scaled back to two days per week. Jiu-Jitsu will be 2-3 days per week. If I get stronger, great. I doubt I will get weaker, but if I do, I doubt it will be much.
On an unrelated note, I got a really sweet Ruger 10/22 takedown rifle today. Its a great day to revel in guy stuff!
Happy 4-20 to all of you stoners!
1 Like
@ChickenLittle I don’t think I’ve ever done 4 sets of 20 reps on anything! Leg press maybe once or twice.
While we’re on the subject of 4/20, I’d like to take a minute to reflect on how cool the state of Maine is, at least from a making the right stuff legal point of view. We gots the good fireworks. We can own machine guns. We can also consume all the weed and liquor we want, and the motherfucking SECOND AMENDMENT is our permit to pack heat in public!
We’re kind of the wacky libertarian cousin of the rest of New England! You guys should come visit!
2 Likes
Monday 4/24/17
BJJ - 90 minutes
Today we worked on closed guard overhooks, which I did okay with. I was repeatedly humbled in my first real sparring sessions. I was able to toss around a fairly large guy, but he still tapped me every time. I was so tired when I sparred with the normal sized young guy that he pretty much had his way with me.
I don’t have too many tricks yet, but I seem to have some good advantages for Jiu Jitsu
Long limbs
Good grip
No problem being uncomfortable
My disadvantages include being 285 pounds and not knowing jiu jitsu.
I’m really really digging it so far. I’m going to do some kind of lifting tomorrow, but my barbell ambitions for the day will not be particularly lofty.
Well, there is that.
I started Kempo about two years ago figuring I was too old and fat for BJJ - regret that decision now, but, I am half way to my black belt, so there is that. Kempo uses Japanese Jiu Jitsu, obvs different than BJJ, but still cool.
A friend of mine here at work is a Purple belt in BJJ and teaches at Serra BJJ. It’s fascinating shit man, glad you’re enjoying it.
@The_Myth I am definitely enjoying it. Who knew getting choked out could be so much fun?
I underestimated just how much it kicked my ass yesterday, and I’ve abandoned any barbell plans for today while I recover. I’ll pick the barbell back up once I’ve adapted to the effects of rolling a bit more. Its a new type of sore so I’ll just proceed carefully and lift again when I feel ready.
Tonight will be LOTS of stretching and a lot of band pull-aparts. Class again tomorrow.
1 Like
I wanted to speak to this a bit more. I might be in a bit better shape than your typical 285 pound 37 year-old desk jockey, but I’m still a HEFTY fellow by any measure. I am only two sessions in, but BJJ seems like a FANTASTIC workout for Trainees of Exceptional Size.
Sure I’m bruised and a bit sore in the hip and groin, but nothing about what I’ve done so far screams STOP. Running, for instance, screams STOP. I feel it in my bones. Rolling around on the ground with another person takes a LOT of energy when you are as big as I am, and it seems pretty safe if you have a good training partner. I feel it all over, but not in my bones. Kinda like lifting, but with a few more bruises.
I’m hooked already.
1 Like
Yes, I regret my decision, but I had yet to become comfortable being uncomfortable and was afraid - yes, I admit it. And, what’s weird in Kempo is that I typically spar with a dude my size, and he happens to be a a black belt, so I actually get my ass whooped pretty regularly.
If I were to do it over again, I would definitely do BJJ instead of karate. I think they are both great disciplines, but suspect it’s easier to learn to strike than to grapple, and would have rather had BJJ as my base.
That being said, now that I’m almost forty pounds lighter than I was, and three years older, I do plan to switch over in the not too distant future. I figure I’m about two years away from my black belt and plan on switching over to BJJ then - might be the oldest one in the dojo by then, but at 6’1" and 180, am in pretty good shape these days.
Dude you’re in killer shape. You’ll do fine with BJJ. My class actually has a guy who is probably in his mid-late 50’s, lean and has a pretty good set of guns on him. He’s still a white belt, but he’s got years of martial arts apparently. It was cool to watch him grapple with a younger blue belt. They seemed pretty evenly matched, but I can’t really say that I understood everything that was happening.
Again I’m no expert, but this seems to be an activity that can be done by nearly anyone. It is extremely technique-oriented, and if you have a good training partner who isn’t out to murder you I don’t see why anyone couldn’t do it.