Project X
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<p>Once I have some trees and plants grow up a bit I'll be able to push some of my stuff outside, but right now, despite hardly anyone being able to see me if they looked (given the lady in the house behind lives alone and can really only see when she goes up her drive) it just feels really exposed!</p>
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Yeah I've been a bit shy about hitting the rack in the open. Particularly as I'm so unfit and the blokes across the street are RAAF blokes who are wiry and look fit as fuck.<br /><br />But I'll have to get into it shortly, as those pushups yesterday have reminded me just how portly toned I am
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<p>* poorly, not portly... though if the cap fits :)</p>
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<p>While doing a few jobs outside this evening (mostly watering after a 40C day) I put in a few pullups to start getting the muscles back into shape:</p>
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<p>5 neutral grip full hang.</p>
<p>Wander off and do a couple of things.</p>
<p>5 wide overhand grip.</p>
<p>Go inside and watch some cricket</p>
<p>5 neutral grip full hang.</p>
<p>Short break</p>
<p>Couple of wide overhand but the fingers were getting a little torn by that stage.</p>
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<p>The full hang were a minimum 1 second break, using only my forearms to lock and maintain grip, while relaxing the shoulders and back as much as possible. I couldn't do this on the previous rig I had because the bar was 50mm pipe so I couldn't lock around with my thumbs. Now what Kea has been saying is making sense to me and I think I should start seeing good improvements with regular training.</p>
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<p>Did some pushups when I got inside to sort out the soreness from yesterday's little effort.</p>
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<p>Got the idea in my head today for a workout - each set to total failure with a one minute break in between:</p>
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<p>5 sets Full-hang pull ups</p>
<p>5 sets 45kg military press</p>
<p>5 sets 45kg bent row</p>
<p>5 sets 45kg front squats</p>
<p>5 sets push ups</p>
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<p>By the time I hit the push ups, I should barely be able to do any...</p> -
<p>Great to see some improvement with your pull ups, and sounds like a perfect routine to do. Start with 3 sets of each, and work your way up to 7 or 8 sets of each after a few months. Repeating 5 pull ups with 1 minute break is not hard. Dips are also feasible-the lowest I seem to go on repeated efforts is 4-6. I think the thing is not holding yourself to a number, but to repeatedly do your max plus 1-2 cheats if needed.</p>
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<p>Good luck!</p> -
To get a start on this new workout, i decided to take Kea's advice and start with 3 sets of each, one minute rest between sets:<br /><br />Full-hang pull ups: 6, 3 after failing to get comfortable grip twice, 3<br /><br />45 kg Shoulder press: 13, 9, 6<br /><br />45 kg Bent row: 19, 11, 7<br /><br />Ring dips: could not do 1! need to rearrange that<br /><br />Push ups: 12, 8, 5<br /><br />Ring dips are insane. Just insane. Might have to work up to those. Total time 16:40
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<p>with ring dips you need to pin them in to your body - if they get even the slightest bit away from your body = goodnight nurse! Keep your hands pushing inward and down and you'll have a better chance of busting out a rep. They are haaaaaard!! Keep at it bro!</p>
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<p>good one mate, great to see you starting this circuit. I think dips are important to do regularly, and I'm doing 15-18 several times a week, so why don't you get something like this:</p>
<p><a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Body-Press-Dip-Stand/dp/B000ICHPIK'>http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Body-Press-Dip-Stand/dp/B000ICHPIK</a></p> -
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<p>Ride this morning - 27 km in 74 minutes. Good for the legs.</p>
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<p>Bad for the back! Somewhere in that lifting session Saturday and the ride Sunday, my back must have tightened up. I was looking in a cupboard for something last night when it pinged, and now I'm in all sorts of pain. This is not good - I'm due in Melbourne for a project this weekend.</p> -
<p>Saw the chiro and she said my right glute wasn't firing, putting strain on my lower left back. Coming good now after a couple of adjustments and a bit of stretching.</p>
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<p>Have been controlling the eating in the meantime and am under 95kg. So just need to be sensible about the eating and maybe get in a long walk to stretch things out.</p>
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<p>Big weekend coming up. My mother-in-law has decided to fuck up Saturday by hosting lunch, which will no doubt drag out into the late afternoon while <em>her</em> mother, suffering from dementia, sits in the kitchen and smokes. Sunday morning I'm due to be godfather for the third time for my mate's son, then have to get straight on a plane to Melbourne to manage a site upgrade in a way that has never been done before. Hopefully the plan comes together before midnight, or the hotel minibar is in serious peril...</p>
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<p>Dad would have been 68 today. First time in my life I haven't been able to call him to wish him a good one. Fuck.</p> -
<p>The plan did NOT come together after a few infrastructure pieces shit themselves. Still, I tried, and got a free trip to Melbourne out of it.</p>
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<p>Back is still fucked after I tweaked it again on Saturday morning picking up rubbish. This time the chiro did a bit more prodding, and reckons I've probably got a bit of disc irritation, so she needs a couple of sessions to set it right, but she's confident.</p>
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<p>In the meantime, fuck lifting weights. I'm going to get back into running now the weather is cooling off and do body weight. Yes my technique is probably flawed, or I did too many reps at once, but it just isn't something I'm able to keep up with at present.</p>
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<p>This back injury is putting me in a really dark place at the moment, in combination with the plan not coming together over the weekend, and some restructures that are happening at work.</p>
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<p>I feel trapped work wise at the moment, don't think I'm getting paid as much as I could elsewhere and am not doing the kind of work I'd like. But if I change jobs to get something more senior, I'm not going to have the flexibility I need to support the family. This place was always a 5 year plan until both kids were in school. Now I can't see an end to it.</p> -
<p>Talked to the boss about the restructure. Had two options - one in the new team doing a lot of Google stuff and one developing customer-facing things primarily. Option 2 gives me a lot more focus on the database work I want, so I'm actually feeling better about that as at least my core skills are going to get some notice. They've been trying for years to make me talk to customers but I've made it pretty clear I think our customers are all dickheads, and therefore I am seen as lacking the tact for such roles.</p>
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<p>Back is still not 100% but the chiro has given me a timeline so I've got something to be positive about. I've also decided bar lifting in any form is not going to happen for the next couple of months.</p>
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<p>Running and body weight will be targeted once the disc settles down. Plus the grip strength thread just reminded me I haven't done any of that.</p> -
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<p>Talked to the boss about the restructure. Had two options - one in the new team doing a lot of Google stuff and one developing customer-facing things primarily. Option 2 gives me a lot more focus on the database work I want, so I'm actually feeling better about that as at least my core skills are going to get some notice. They've been trying for years to make me talk to customers but I've made it pretty clear I think our customers are all dickheads, and therefore I am seen as lacking the tact for such roles.</p>
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<p>Back is still not 100% but the chiro has given me a timeline so I've got something to be positive about.<strong> I've also decided bar lifting in any form is not going to happen for the next couple of months</strong>.</p>
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<p>Running and body weight will be targeted once the disc settles down. Plus the grip strength thread just reminded me I haven't done any of that.</p>
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<p>I agree with this. I do none, and I have no fitness problems-actually, I like being mobile, which I am not when my back tightens up with bar work and cycling.</p>
<p>Make sure to stretch it out by hanging with good form from the pull up bar-you should do this daily when you get home, since you sit down too much. Good form means hanging straight arms, ballet dancer straight back tucked in arse, and letting the head go up and back for a full spine stretch, then holding it and breathing 5-10 times.</p>
<p>Also, maybe add kicking with a board. It's great because it increases your fitness, leg strength, ab strength, stabilisers, and strteches out the hip, lower and upper back muscles as you fight to stay stable and high in the water. It's hard to do for the first few weeks, but once you are good you can fly through/over the water.</p>
<p>Get a decent dip bar set up.</p>
<p>and perhaps some med weight kettle bells.</p>
<p>Have patience, and good luck.</p> -
Been doing the odd bit of exercise to keep a little form, while the back heals.<br /><br />Slooooooow pull ups, a bit if walking. Nothing strenuous.<br /><br />Chiro said I could start running again but only on grass, so will see if I can get down to the local oval.... Which in this dry spell is like fucking concrete anyway, so we'll see
