two miler

easy run. 20 minutes everything

military press

60 x 5
70 x 5
80 x 7

45 x 3 x 10
chins 15

5.5 mi ~ 1:16:01

wow what a run! my wife came back from a month long trip for some classes and she knocked out this 5 miler with me, in style. we took a route that brought us from makiki through the kapahulu/kapiolani area, through moiilili, and back to makiki park. great finish :)

satellite view of our route

street map version

squat session

so while everyones out celebrating national chest day, i hit the squat racks this afternoon. the sets felt great, and i skipped the leg curls after my groin started tightening up.

bench press

135 x 5
145 x 5
165 x 7

95 x 5 x 10

speed work

six repetitions, one way. meh, felt slow, draggish. i also did a two-miler this am with my wife's baby brother.

all to myself

i remember now why i used to like lifting in the evenings, and even better, on the weekends. i just cannot iterate enough how much i enjoy having the gym all to myself. i mean, in the end, training is really where i step into my own realm, where i get to know myself by testing my limits, by mentally and emotionally challenging myself and stepping out of my comfort zones.

so today was no exception. i had to exercise some restraint in sticking loyal with my training program. knocking out reps of 135 went by smooth, no trouble at all. i did start a little cold, so i may feel the tightness tomorrow. otherwise, and good early evening of training.

95 x 5
125 x 5
135 x 7

95 x 3 x 8
75 x 2 x 6

dumbell rows, single
30 x 15,15,10,10 ea arm.

run around UH campus

took off an hour before sundown from makiki park. you know i gotta say, the metcalf st hill up to the UH campus is a helluva hill man. fricken ey. someday i'll be able to go up that hill at race pace. until then, its the truffle shuffle.

about 3 miles, done in just under 50 minutes. walked here and there and really took my time with this one.

3.3 mi - 56:26

ive been really sore since doing the deadlifts so i really took some time back at the park to stretch out. i really wish i had a foam roller now. oh well, looks like i know what i need to invest in next. :)

ready. pull!

deadlift

135x5
165x5
185x7

135 5x10

30 situps

nothing spectacular. lifts felt great, no problems.

some thoughts, and a look at things to come

i don't worship the guy (though he'd be well deserving), but Jim Wendler is someone who really knows his sh*t. seriously, his mentality and approach to training is no nonsense, to the point, realistic, and practical. common sense is in there too, and thats the kind of trainer id aspire to be someday. the trendy, weird, and downright dangerous mentality of certain training styles like:

- instability training i.e. squats on a bosu ball. i mean, really?
- training w/o a supportive eating habit (the folks who starve themselves before AND after training)
- "olympic" lifters who learned technique from coach youtube

is something id like to avoid.

anyway, heres the blueprint for the remainder of july and august. four weeks. a short cycle. an approach so simple it would probably drive some people mad.

based on the 5/3/1 program written by wendler

this has put on 20lbs on all lifts when i was deployed. of course, i had nothing better to do and my conditioning suffered because of my over-dedication. still, its worked for me before and itll work for me again.

k im done. bye

4.7 miles in 55:23

Great run today!


My goal was time: run at least 40 minutes. Keep heart rate above 60% MHR, which I did. Little did I know I was racking up some good mileage as well. Overall, the entire route felt really good. A little buzz afterwards too.

4.7 mi - 55:23

5/3/1 new cycle, first day

military press.

the neighboring rack had a personal trainer and his client/ex-gf (?) arguing and bickering throughout my workout. hmmm the intricacies of training and love.

anyway, im starting "too light," as wendler would say. lifting truly should be a lifetime pursuit, otherwise getting strong "now" or "tomorrow" would be too stressful for most people.

military press
55 x 5
65 x 5
75 x 7 (arms starting to tremble /: )

45 x 5 x 10
five sets, ten reps. i'm going to write it like that from now on. anywho, im following the "boring but big"  template of 5/3/1.
chin ups: x 10 (i suck horribly on chin ups. today these were kipping chins)

otherwise, i feel good!

Some jogging and a bit of lifting

Ran Kakaako and ala moana beach park areas, 45 min keeping my HR above 150.


Got back to the dungeon, knocked out a few sets on the bench with 135. Just trying to get a feel for things after a long hiatus with some familial obligations. Final thoughts: I know I lost some strength, but I'm also not surprised. Nothing like the feel of getting back into the groove.