Pierini's June 2007 Training

Friday, June 1, 2007
I took the day off from work. At 9:50 a.m. I went downstairs to the basement in my home for a 60 minute chest workout consisting of:

4 rounds of deep pushups using the pushup handles x 25 reps each round.

2 rounds each of the full-range pectoral contraction and McSweeney wrist twist dynamic visualized resistance (DVR) exercises, using maximum visualized resistance for 10 reps each exercise.

2 rounds of the Liederman chest press dynamic self-resistance (DSR) exercise, using maximum self-resistance for 10 reps each round.

14 rounds of maximum-effort isometric contractions with each contraction lasting for a 10-count.

Later in the day I walked 2 miles to run some errands.

Saturday, June 2, 2007
In my basement at 7:45 a.m. for a quick round of standard grip pullups x 16 reps and bar dips x 20 reps.

Then I went to my Saturday morning dojo workout.

I planned on doing a track workout afterwards but I got my quarterly case of bruised ribs during the dojo workout. Can't run hard with bruised ribs so I called it a day.

I'm going to the California High School Track & Field Championships later today and I'm excited about that. Enjoy your weekend!

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum.

Sunday, June 3, 2007
Rest day, but I did walk to Sunday Mass in the late afternoon (a different church) for a total of 3 miles at a fast pace, about a 15 minute mile pace. I accepted a ride home.

Monday, June 4, 2007
Arrived at the gym at 6:40 a.m.

Elliptical trainer - resistance and incline both at level 10 for a 5 minute warmup, completing 888 strides (75 less than last Thursday and 301 less than my best effort of 1,189 strides).

A single round of the following static isometric postures
#1 = handstand hold with feet against the wall for balance = 1:01 (I've gone longer)

#2 = pullup bar hang hold = 1:40 (my best recorded effort)

#3 = wall sit hold = 2:00 (funny watching the legs when they start to shake)

#4 = ab plank hold = 3:00 (pleased as I haven't done this hold in a while)

Heavy bag
Punching combinations on the heavy bag, completing 5 rounds of 2 minutes with a 1 minute rest between rounds.

Other Stuff
I've got bruised ribs on both my right and left sides and this is limiting what I can do. I didn't feel like doing pullups or dips which I planned on doing, and I didn't feel like running as the jarring would be uncomfortable. I want to cough and sneeze so bad but I dare not - that would hurt. Hopefully I'll be back on track tomorrow.

I've been doing maximum effort isometric contractions lately and they are really exhausting. I'm planning on spending more time doing isometric workouts this month.

Tomorrow I will walk to work again - 8.93 miles - which will be the 3rd Tuesday I've done it. I want to leave home by 5:40 a.m. like I did last Tuesday.

Have a great day!

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum.

[minime]

nice beginning to the month pierini! hope your ribs feel better soon!

[gymgirl]

nice holds workouts pierini! your pull-up bar hang hold time is awesome! sorry to hear about your ribs, the toughest part must be that there isn't a whole lot you can do to make them heal faster.

[The Flash]

Pierini, when you walk to work, is it a casual stroll or more of a power walk? I've been wanting to start walking and/or riding a bike to work and other nearby places but I don't want to show up all sweaty.

[Bob44]

Did you say your bruised ribs were from the dojo workout or were you playing cento too close to your wife without your sun glasses? Either way, I hope your ribs get better.

[gymgirl]

Originally Posted by Bob44

Did you say your bruised ribs were from the dojo workout or were you playing cento too close to your wife without your sun glasses? Either way, I hope your ribs get better.

Bob that cracked me up, you are too funny!

Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Today was the 3rd Tuesday I walked to work - 8.93 miles. I left home this morning at 5:25 a.m. and it took me 2:18:39 today (15:32/mile pace). My average HR was 96 bpm (52% of max) and my highest HR was 120 bpm (65% of max). The highest HRs are occuring when I run across the street at some busy intersections.

Today's time was 2:54 better than last Tuesday and last Tuesday's time was 11:35 better than the Tuesday before, so today's walk was 14:29 faster than the first time I did this. I can go faster but, as I've said before, it takes greater concentration to maintain a faster walking pace than a faster running pace. Go figure.

Bruised ribs are getting better but they are keeping me from doing my normal workout stuff. I'm not sure what I will do tomorrow. We will see.

Have a great day!

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum.

p.s. Hi The Flash, I would say that my walk is not a casual stroll but probably 80% of a power walk pace. I take a shower at my gym which is very close to my office. If the distance was only 4 miles and I walked a little slower, I could probably skip a shower.

Hi Bob, very funny. Thanks for reminding me about cento. If I make it to the NCAA Track & Field Championships this upcoming weekend, I'll have some great opportunties to play cento. Thanks for the well wishes.

I just want to announce for the record that I ate some tortilla chips last night, one of the items on my no eat list, the first time since prior to December 26th.

I had a gym friend over for dinner and my wife made a Mexican salad dinner consisting of mixed greens, hamburger, cheddar cheese, tomatoes, corn, bell peppers, salsa, a Cilantro dressing from Trader Joe's and TORTILLA CHIPS!!! The salad would be have great without the tortilla chips but since she made a special effort to make it for my guest, I didn't want to be rude and tell her that I didn't want the chips. The salad was delicious.

[minime]

wow pierini, you are OUT OF CONTROL what's next, gelato for breakfast? See's candy for lunch?

great job on cutting your time down further... If the weather complies I would like to time the 3.5 mile walk I did last week again. When i am doing the fast walk, i have to wait at many intersections, and then I compensate by running across when the light changes for me. Do you do this also or do you have the good luck to have a straight run most of the way regarding crossing roads?

Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Arrived at the gym at 6:50 a.m.

Elliptical trainer - resistance and incline both at level 10 for a 5 minute warmup, completing 950 strides (62 more than Monday and 239 less than my best effort of 1,189 strides).

Power clean & push press workout - warmup of 4-count cherry pickersx10, 45x10, 95x3 and 115x2. Then 135x3 and quit. My bruised ribs started acting up and hurt when I pulled the clean, and they prevented me from making my core as rock hard as possible. Did the safe-rather-than- sorry thing and went to a Plan B workout.

Holds superset - the same superset as Monday with Monday's hold times in parenthesis:

#1 = handstand hold x 1:06 (1:01)
#2 = pullup bar hang hold x 1:49 (1:40)
#3 = parallel squat wall sit hold x 2:10 (2:00)
#4 = ab plank hold x 3:15 (3:00).

Some more holds
#1 = handstand hold x 0:58
#2 = standard grip pullup hold for a long 10-count (top with chin clearing the bar, then dropping to midway with triceps parallel to floor and finally dropping to full hang). Total hold time was 1:12.
#3 = standing crucifix (arms extended to the side and palms forward facing) with 15 lb. DBs x 1:00

BW squats - a single set of 100 reps completed in 3:00. Perpetual motion today with no rest pauses. I haven't done these in a while. I better get back doing them if I want to achieve one of my fitness goals of doing a single set of 500 reps.

Stretching - on the floor to stretch my hams, quads, glutes, calves.

Originally Posted by minime

When i am doing the fast walk, i have to wait at many intersections, and then I compensate by running across when the light changes for me. Do you do this also or do you have the good luck to have a straight run most of the way regarding crossing roads?

Hi minime, I only run across very busy and major intersections when necessary for safety. If it is a safe intersection, I will walk when the light turns green.

Have a great day!

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum.

Thursday, June 7, 2007
Arrived at the gym at 6:35 a.m.

Elliptical trainer - resistance and incline both at level 10 for a 5 minute warmup, completing 1,018 strides (68 more than yesterday and 171 less than my best effort of 1,189 strides).

Static Isometric Postures - yesterday's time in parenthesis - #1 = handstand hold with feet against the wall x 1:12 (1:06) - #2 = standard grip pullup hand hold x 1:53 (1:49).

Plate pinching - used two 10 lb. plates, 3 rounds with each hand - right hand: 1:10 - 0:46 - 1:06 and left hand: 0:45 - 0:38 - 0:35. I'm a beginner with this and I definitely have alot of work to do. I was surprised at the concentration required to maintain the pinch to keep the plates together. My pinch concentration failed me today before my forearms gave out. I think I could have done better if I hadn't done the pullup hang hold prior.

Classic isometric contractions - I'll give a little description to explain each exercise I did this morning. I performed each isometric contraction using my maximum effort for a 10-count.

#1 = hands clasped in front, then pull outward to the side with maximum effort so that no movement occurs. 3 rounds, 1 at trunk level, 1 at chest level and 1 at face level.

#2 = Milo bicep/tricep contraction - clasp hands with one hand below and to the side with palms up and other hand above with palms down. The lower hand does a bicep curl while the other hand does a tricep pressdown with maximum effort so that no movement occurs. 3 rounds with each side, 1 at trunk level, 1 at low chest level and 1 at shoulder level.

Abs - a single round of knees-to-elbow x 10 reps which aggravated my bruised ribs big time so I quit. This was not a good idea!

Have a great day!

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum.

[tim_mcf]

Did you like the plate pinching? I like it, I find it really challenging, but it gives me amazing DOMS in my forearms, particularly close to the elbow. Can't really do it often.

Hi Tim,

Yes I did like plate pinching. I really need to do it more. It's something where I feel like a first-time beginner. Very frustrating - like playing golf.

Friday, June 8, 2007
I took the day off from work. In my basement at 9:10 a.m. for the following 50 minute workout:

All isometric contractions were maximum effort contractions for a 10-count. Dynamic visualized resistance (DVR) exercise tension was as noted. Dynamic self-resistance (DSR) exercise was done using maximum self-resistance.

#1 = full-range pectoral contraction DVR using light visualized resistance x 100 to warmup.

#2 = Atlas pushups using pushup handles x 25.

#3 = Pectoral isometric contraction - hands on outside of bookshelf 42" wide - 1 round each trunk level, chest level and eye level.

#4 = Atlas pushups using pushup handles x 25.

#5 = Pectoral isometric contraction - hands on outside of pullup unit 24= wide - 1 round each at trunk level, chest level and eye level.

#6 = Atlas pushups using pushup handles x 25.

#7 = Pectoral isometric contractions - hands squeezing basketball - 1 round each at trunk level, chest level and eye level.

#8 = Atlas pushups using pushup handles x 25.

#9 = Pectoral isometric contraction - hands clasped - 1 round each at trunk level, chest level and eye level.

#10 = Powrflex isometric contractions #1 through #6 as outlined in "Isometric Power Revolution" book.

#11 = Liederman chest press DSR x 5 reps each at trunk level. chest level and eye level.

#12 = Full-range pectoral contraction DVR x 10 at maximum self-resistance for 10 rep max.

I've written a bodyweight-only training article that will appear in the Summer 2007 issue of the Discuss Fitness newsletter with video demonstrations of these exercises. Stay tuned.

Later in the day I went on a 4.8 mile walk to go to the bank and get a haircut. The barber shop was closed so the walk was in vain for that goal.

In the evening I discovered that the workout I did really aggravated my bruised ribs and was not a good idea.

Saturday, June 9, 2007
Saturday morning dojo workout with about a 50% training effort.

I'm forcing myself to not do anymore training today or tomorrow. I need to rest and get my bruised ribs healed. This week I have felt like an old man. It sucks!

Enjoy your weekend!

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum.