Today's workout was...

[John Rauch]

With a 30 min. timer running:

100 walking lunges w/80lb. sandbag locked out overhead.
(10 burpee penalty for dropping the bag)
Then: AMRAP push press from alternating shoulders for the remaining time.

I made it to 100 push presses.

[Ryan]

The last week was unexpectedly crazy, I was stuck at my parents' house in New Orleans with a broke down car. Still got in 5 workouts, all jogging, plyometrics, push-ups and jump rope. All my weights were at my house in north Louisiana, so no weight lifting.

Hopefully I can get back to a normal weight lifting schedule this week. It might have worked out for the best, though. My arms may have needed an extended rest, and this situation forced that to happen.

[Laura]

Sadly, not a lot of working out has been going on. I've been overwhelmed with the amount of work I have to do in the next two weeks.

So, instead of trying to dive in where I left off two weeks ago, I decided to step back into the pool with the Base Phase. 2 sets of 10:

1A Bird Dog
1B Forward Ball Roll
2A Step-up (BW on both to concentrate on form and heel pain)
2B 3-pt DB rows (20, 25)
3A Partial Co-Contraction Lunge
3B Incline Pushup
4A Hip-Thigh Extension
4B Bent Over Reverse Fly (5s, 8s)

It felt fine. My rotator cuff and heel are still bothering me a bit; hopefully I can run tomorrow on this stupid heel.

[John Rauch]

I've been hitting it pretty hard the past couple weeks with a lot of strongman emphasis on my workouts, as well as some trail running here and there. I found a great idea online about filling a yoga ball with water and using it in strength training, so I made one of those today. It's a bit big and unruly at 75 cm/110 lbs., but fun. I worked out twice yesterday, but the second one was the most fun:

5 tire flips @ 400 lbs
25 double-unders (jumping rope, the rope passes under your feet twice per jump)
As many reps as possible in 30 minutes.

I made it to 98 flips and would've had more, but it started raining around rep 80 and the tire started getting slick, then REALLY muddy, which made each flip take about twice as long. Fun workout either way, though.

[Ryan]

John, I have your next fitness challenge:

http://www.g4tv.com/anw/home/

Yesterday I did 20 minutes of high intensity cardio and lifted weights (biceps/triceps).

Wasn't feeling up to much today, so I just did 10 miles on the recumbent bike.

[John Rauch]

I've been watching Ninja Warrior for over a decade now. Probably one of my favorite shows. As a bigger guy, I wouldn't expect to do great, but I'd love to give it a try. Now that they're doing regional qualifiers, I might see what it takes to get on the next season.

[Ryan]

As a bigger guy, I wouldn't expect to do great, but I'd love to give it a try.

Yeah, I noticed height was sometimes a disadvantage. And the heavier you are, the more energy it's going to take on hanging/arm obstacles.

It seems like the people they feature on the show all have a "hook" in their professional or personal lives. You're a comic book artist Dad who colors superheroes, I'm sure that would help your chances of making it on the show. That kind of reality TV sells itself.

[John Rauch]

That's a good point. I'll see what it takes to get on. Maybe it's possible.

_____


Good circuit workout this morning. I made a new workout tool yesterday, dubbed "The Jellybean." It's a 75cm yoga ball filled with water and air to 110 lbs. and it's a beast to hang on to. I'm using it similar to an atlas stone, except that the grip is very, VERY different.

30 min of 45s work/15s rest.

Jellybean loading over 48" bar.
95 lb. fat bar, alt. bent rows/power cleans
Hammer curls w/25 lb. DBs only loaded on one side. Super fat grips, of course.

My forearms were BURNING by the end and I was drenched in sweat. The jellybean was difficult enough to hang on to when it was dry, but after I covered it in sweat, it got even harder.

[Laura]

Wow. That jellybean thing looks fun/totally difficult.

I did Couch to 5K week 6 run 2 -- two ten-minute runs with a three-minute break in between. I'm going to run a 5K while at HeroesCon, and I really want to run the whole damn thing, but I won't be done with C25K by then...so we'll see how this all works out.

I want my new running shoes, dammit! (Brooks Ghost 5)

[John Rauch]

Since you started it, I'm going to post my shoes as well.

Saucony Kinvara2 -Best road running shoes I've ever had. I have a lot of shoes but if I'm running on pavement, these are on my feet. Every time I pick them up, they're lighter than I expect, but have a solid amount of support.


New Balance Trail Minimus -I love these as well. These are my go-to shoes for trail running. Very light, very tactile, very little, if any, support, which some people like, some do not. I kind of prefer it for trail running.


Fila Skeletoes -I wear these on the trails when I feel like punishing myself, or know I'll be in water or mud. Very tactile, even less rubber under my feet than the Minimus, but I have to be careful where I step. Landing on tree roots and rocks tends to hurt.

[John Rauch]

I'm trying to bang out a bunch of pages today, so rather than a proper workout, getting all sweaty, worn out, etc., I've been doing sets every 30 minutes or so throughout the day. So far, I've done a bunch of dumbbell bench press and barbell push press. I'll probably edit this post before bed with final numbers, but here's what I've done so far:

Dumbbell Bench Press
50 lb x 5
60 lb x 5
80 lb x 5
87.5 lb x 5
87.5 lb x 5
87.5 lb x 5
87.5 lb x 7
87.5 lb x 9
87.5 lb x 10
87.5 lb x 10
87.5 lb x 8
87.5 lb x 10
87.5 lb x 10

Push Press (cleaned from the floor)
135 lb x 5
145 lb x 5
155 lb x 5
165 lb x 4
175 lb x 1 (PR!)
165 lb x 3
165 lb x 2
165 lb x 1
155 lb x 3
155 lb x 3
155 lb x 1

Strict Overhead Press (fat bar)
95 lb x 9
95 lb x 8
95 lb x 6
95 lb x 6
95 lb x 5
95 lb x 5
95 lb x 5
95 lb x 5

Plus a few sets of push-ups using the suspension trainer. Two sets with feet suspended, two sets with feet suspended and hands on a balance board. Craaaazy.

[Laura]

Cool idea. I'm kinda doing something similar -- color a page, do some squats, color a page, swing a kettlebell, color a page, do some incline pushups...but I'm really only doing it to stay awake and not be sitting for hours at a time.

I saw those Sauconys at the running store. I gotta admit, I was a little sad that the shoes I want only come in two relatively tame colorways (compared to the Sauconys or the Nike Frees).

Last time I hiked, I borrowed a pair of water shoes from Matt Wilson. They were weird -- waterproof, unless the water sloshed in over the top, then they retained water. I hiked up a hill in those squishy shoes; made me feel like I was wearing two giant blisters. I had to change back into my hiking boots. BUT...that being said...it was pretty interesting to feel the ground (rocks, roots, etc) under my feet. I can understand the appeal. I am so not ready for minimalist trail runners, but maybe one day.

[John Rauch]

Those water shoes sound weird.

I pulled an all-nighter last night, then went straight to the park and ran 7 miles in 49:54, which is pretty much a record for me. Go figure. It did suck though.

[John Rauch]

Bought a new bench and rack, did lots of lifting over the weekend. Yay!

[Laura]

Haven't done any lifting. Went out and completed week 6 day 3 of C25K today -- that's a 25-minute run. I did it indoors in an air-conditioned, rubberized track, but I did it. Around minute 14 my heel started hurting and didn't stop, but neither did I...and I should have, because by the time I got home, I could hardly walk on it. Went to the podiatrist; got a cortisone shot and some recommendations for icing and stretching.

So now I'm dealing with busitis in my shoulder AND plantar fasciitis in my left heel. The shoulder feels much better, but not 100%. I can't take any other painkillers because I'm already taking a powerful NSAID for the shoulder. Looks like I'm benched for a few days. I could do lower-body stuff as long as it doesn't involve moving weight with my right arm or heel striking.

Tell you what, though, I quickly learned how to run on the balls of my feet today. Although that just aggravated my bunion. I CAN'T WIN. Kids, don't get fat, because being fat AND old sucks!