My way towards (next) OCR

[aramis]

 

8 hours ago, Mortimer said:

be careful and listen to your body

That's what I'm doing  

 

8 hours ago, Mortimer said:

back still gives you problems after a week

Virus got me week ago. My back is fresh stuff - I threw it out at Friday. But it's better every day  

 

 

 

Oct. 6th

 

Rest day. 

 

To be honest, all this week feels like resting - virus infection and later throwing my back out derailed me quite hard (at least in my head). I still work out, but lack of running gives me this feeling of not doing anything. Mobility drills I use to substitute running (because infection and bad weather) doesn't feel like real workouts either. Ugh, this is stressing me so much... and probably absolutely unnecessarily. But  my all-or-nothing personality kicks in and it's so hard to fight it. I need to carve it in my forearm - "Good Enough" is really good enough.

 

Food: 2338kcal, 138.5g protein.

 

I start to see my weight increasing faster than expected, so I will lower my intake for a bit. No running means less burned calories. And it got cold outside, so I tend to move less overall.

[Mortimer]

If you think you're up to it you can try doing some body combat or taebo from YouTube for your cardio. I find it gives joints less stress then actually running(well your muscles burn from the strain but that's not joints) and no point making your virus worse by running in the cold. A lot of people get sick during winter, so I've heard. 

[aramis]

The funny part is I don't run for cardio.

First I decided to learn to run in preparation to OCR, but now I just enjoy running (I think I dwelt on this matter some time ago).

But I'll surely check on taebo and bodycombat for times like now, when I better stay inside. I could use elliptical (I bought one for my wife some time ago), but I hate using it. Maybe some punches and kicks in front of TV will fit me better. 

[Mortimer]

Both of us don't like sitting around and doing nothing, so I get where you're coming from - and in the December months last year I was sick(stupid cough that refused to go away completely for like weeks) but went for body combat classes anyway (strangely it was the only place I wasn't coughing) - else I'd be coughing the whole day.

 

I find that sometimes exercise gives you relief from sniffles and irritating coughs(I suspect its because your body heats up when you exercise) , but as with exercising when sick, just make sure you exercise caution. 

 

From personal experience I'd say I'd probably feel worse had I not gotten some exercise. And I cant like not work out for 3 weeks when I had(at that time) weight goals to reach. That'd just set me back major time. 

[aramis]

Oct. 7th

 

Workout (back):

3x superset:

- 3x pull-ups followed immediately by 4x assisted pull-ups (4+3 on first set),

- 10x face pulls (7kg / 15lb on cable),

- 10x trap raises,

- 10x straight arm pull-downs,

- 10x body rows with feet on chair, 

- rest 2 min

After circuit I played with my KannonBall (16kg/35lb)

20x KB swings

6x per side KB clean and press (alternating hands on every rep)

 

Stretching

shoulder, tricep and trap stretches, squat and reach, Sun Salutations.

 

My lower back is still a bit stiff, but every day is better. I can do cobra-downward dog transition with only slight discomfort. 

 

Food: 2479kcal, 157g protein.

[aramis]

Oct. 8th

 

No running again - I still haven't got rid of my infection, so I won't risk running in cold (it's 6C / 43F) and getting it worse. 

Did 15min of mobility drill (various stretches and yoga poses).

 

Food: 2083kcal, 162,5g protein.

[Mortimer]

If weather doesn't permit you'll probably need to find something to do indoors. Running is based on cardio as well, so with insufficient practice, picking it up in spring is going to be >. <

 

I know that I have a decently long breath for someone who doesn't swim very much, but I suspect its part of the carry over from my running practice. 

 

Even doing 100 burpees isn't a bad idea. 

[aramis]

I hope my body will let my run in cold, even in winter (lots of people can do that). It's just I don't want to try right now when I still didn't get rid of my infection fully. I will check body combat/taebo as you pointed out earlier. Doing 100 burpees sounds scary 

[Mortimer]

It's not as bad as it sounds. Do 20,take a 2 min break, do another 20, take another 2 min break, rinse and repeat until 100 burpees are done. One of my fitness buddies did 3,000 burpees in 15 days earning a pink T-shirt from Spartan spelling 3000 burpees did not kill me. 

 

I am a hot weather person so running in winter doesn't sound particularly nice to me and previously I would huddle in bed and refuse to get out, I think now I'd try to figure a way to work out without leaving the house. 

[aramis]

Oct. 9th

 

Workout (full body):

3x superset:

- max pull-ups followed by max assisted pull-ups (3+5),

- 6x KB halos each side (16kg/35lb)

- 15x weighted squats (22.7kg/50lb),

- 6x KB clean and press each side (16kg/35lb),

- 20x KB swing

- 10x body rows with feet on a chair,

- 10x glute bridge, 

- 15x decline push-ups with feet on a chair,

-2 min rest.

 

Finish: RKC plank 6x10sec, 20sec rest.

Stretching: Sun Salutations

 

This time on KB clean and press I alternated hands every rep instead doing full set on one hand and then full set on the other. Managed to do all six reps per side of regular press (not push-press). Also included glute bridge between body rows and push-ups as a way to catch my breath without actually taking a break.

 

Food: 2587kcal, 149.5g protein.

[aramis]

Oct. 10th

 

I start to lose track on how and when should I run - I tried to change my weekly plan, then I get sick... everything falls apart. But I feel better and weekend forecast is optimistic - I will try to run couple of kilometers (not sure if I can manage full 5K after this break) on Saturday.

 

Anyway - yesterday I tried burpees. There are so many variations! I always thought it should be squat with hands on the ground (count 1), kick to plank (count 2), back to squat (count 3), rise with jump (count 4), with optional push-up from plank position. Turns out I was wrong, as most guides blend squat and kick to plank into one move. I found this version considered as "proper" by my to-go OCR run, so I will stick with them. 

 

Did 10, after that did 10 without push-up, and then two more sets of 10. Didn't measure breaks, but it was something between 30 sec and 1 min. Gotta ramp up to sets of 20 reps as this is penalty in OCR for missing the obstacle, and I want to be ready for this

 

Food: 2213kcal, 144.5g protein.

[Mortimer]

Yayyy burpees! Yeah I should do more burpees too. Screw up an obstacle for me and it's 30 burpees. And chances are if its your first time doing OCR you'll screw up somewhere and end up doing them anyway... 

 

Spartan the burpees requirement is that your chest must touch the ground. They don't bother wide or narrow grip push up, that is from the last time I spectated. 

 

So how much were you panting after those burpees? =P

[aramis]

I was impersonating Big Bad Wolf from "Three Little Pigs" - I was huffing and puffing... good I live in a brick house  

[aramis]

Oct. 11th

 

Workout (back):

3x superset:

- pull-ups followed immediately by assisted pull-ups (3+5),

- 10x face pulls (7kg / 15lb on cable),

- 10x trap raises,

- 10x straight arm pull-downs,

- 10x body rows with feet on chair, 

- rest 2 min

 

20x KB swings (16kg/35lb)

6x per side KB clean and press

 

Stretching

shoulder, tricep and trap stretches, Sun Salutations.

 

Food: 2479kcal, 152g protein.

[Mortimer]

On 10/11/2019 at 5:24 PM, aramis said:

I was impersonating Big Bad Wolf from "Three Little Pigs" - I was huffing and puffing... good I live in a brick house  

 

 

Yeah who needs to run to huff and puff. A good load of burpees will do that to you as well ^^

 

Good thing you didn't blow the house down heh. 

 

But if your penalty is burpees then we'd both better get to practicing, cos it'll happen. 

 

You see, it's one thing to swing across dry monkey bars, but another when it's raining that day, they're spaced further apart then you're used to, and are covered with sweat, mud and grime. 

[aramis]

Oct. 12th

 

I finally beat the infection, my lumbar spine got back to normal, sooo... I did my run!

 

5.25km in 31min 15sec, which gives average pace of 5.95min/km. Almost three minutes longer than my best, but (A) it's first run in over two weeks, and (B) - running while constipated is an extreme sport

 

Food: 2946kcal, 131g protein. 

Higher on calories, because I chugged 6-8 heaped tablespoons of coconut oil after the run to give my guts a nudge and deal with constipation. Sadly, I failed (looks like I can digest anything).

[Mortimer]

Yes yes, go go go! How did it feel running in the cold and out of curiosity, what did you wear? (in case I need to prep a cold weather run). 

 

Things that send me to the loo:

Oranges

Bananas

Prunes

Figs

Okra 

Dried apricots

 

Not that its stopped me from eating any of the above items...

 

[aramis]

1 hour ago, Mortimer said:

running in the cold

To be honest - weather improved and it got warm again - somewhere in 15C/59F range.

And in terms of clothes - I gave myself a gift and bought some running clothes dedicated to chillier weather (in 5-15C range). I'm not sure if you have Decathlon stores where you live, but here are links to stuff I use: shoes (cn), tights (cn), t-shirt (cn), shirt (cn) and gloves (cn). Yes, I run in gloves as my palms tend to get cold in temp lower than 15C. 

For winter time I plan to just put on another layer on top of this - this will give me warmth, yet inner layer will still provide moisture management.

 

And about the loo - I just hit myself with bulletproof coffee as first thing in the morning. Additional 70g of fat (butter and coconut oil) finally managed to force some action in my guts  

 

Bananas, figs, prunes and any dried fruit is no-go due to my low FODMAP diet (also figs are bloody expensive here) and okra is rather non-existent in our groceries.

Oranges on the other hand are okay and I eat one (or half if I buy bigger ones) daily.

[aramis]

Oct. 13th

 

Rest day - no workout, but I had kids on my head, so whether I wanted or not, I was kept active. As weather was great (clear sky, ~20C/68F, mild breeze) in the forenoon we picked all the walnuts from back yard and raked the leaves.

 

Spoiler

(sorry for the quality, photo made with a potato)

 

After dinner we did some more decluttering/organization in their toys. In spare time I did some decluttering on my own shelves and made a small car repair. 

 

Food: 2261kcal, 140,5g protein.

[Mortimer]

I have decathlon stores where I am. You wear two shirts for running, the T Shirt inside, long sleeved shirt over, then? I was eyeing some compression gear for Spartan but I may just go in my yoga pants (yep you heard that lol) and maybe a dri fit shirt. I definitely want to prioritise shin protection due to the expected rope climb and all that scrambling that will happen. I did not know your hands can get cold in 15C as its lowest at 23C down here in December months. I am a child of the sun. I praise the sun a lot =P

 

And I love walnuts! They're delicious! How do they look in their shell and what must you do to break them so you can pull the walnut halves out?

 

I'm a rather curious sort like a cat. 

[aramis]

3 hours ago, Mortimer said:

the T Shirt inside, long sleeved shirt over,

Yup. Should I use only one layer? I thought this works like regular clothing...

 

3 hours ago, Mortimer said:

its lowest at 23C down here in December months

Haha, we can get -30C on some winter days (but that's extreme and rare). I'd say -10C during the day is considered cold. 

 

Walnuts in their shells look like this

 

And the shells are additionally covered by soft tissue which dries as nut matures

 

 

Shells are thinner but tough much like coconut shell, so you need to either whack it with a hammer or use dedicated tool - the nutcracker. It may be in form of profiled tongs like this

 

or contraption where threaded screw does the squeezing, like this

 

BTW, walnuts aren't nuts if you ask a botanist. They are seeds of a fruit, just like coconut

[Mortimer]

I don't know haha. I'm the nub who is trying to learn more about functioning in cold weather while you've probably lived there all your life

 

And tomatoes are fruits, not vegetables according to botanists. Ahhh the contradictions! 

[aramis]

Oct. 14th

 

Workout (back):

3x superset:

- pull-ups followed immediately by assisted pull-ups (3+5),

- 10x face pulls (7kg / 15lb on cable),

- 10x trap raises,

- 10x straight arm pull-downs,

- 10x body rows with feet on chair, 

- rest 2 min

 

20x KB swings (16kg/35lb)

8x per side KB clean and press

 

Stretching

Trap stretches, Sun Salutations.

 

Food: 2597kcal, 173.5g protein.

[aramis]

Oct. 15th

 

Workout (burpees):

 

I have set timer for 15 min and: 

- do as much reps as I can without losing (too much) form, 

- when I feel my form is failing, rest couple seconds to catch my breath, 

- rinse and repeat. 

 

Finally I did 73 reps. I died, but face was like  

 

Yeah, there will be burpees done in OCR, better prepare myself (I think I already heard this somewhere... @Mortimer, was that you?). Besides, as long running can hinder muscle gaining attempts (so I was told) I decided to switch from running to something else - will do burpees on Tuesday and Thursday, leaving one 5K run a week on Saturday. 

 

Food: 2729kcal, 179g protein. 

 

Gotta get back on 2750kcal target. Lowering target l for infection/back pain time resulted in my average weight went down 1.5kg in last two weeks. In short words - I lost all the weight I gained in August. I don't feel weaker though, so I hope it's not muscle mass.

[Mortimer]

Yes I know... I'm here and I jogged up the hill nearby my office yesterday then did 30 burpees and ran down,though I did break them up into 20, then 10. I can do 30 burpees straight but I need to be fresh. Jogging for 1.4 km(some part of it uphill) does not count as fresh. Unfortunately monkey bar practice was >< today and I only managed 3/4 way across the bars. So that's a potential burpee spot in the making. I will try to shorten my burpee rest time to 1 min between sets of 20.

 

One of the instructors said at the gym, "What does not kill you makes you stronger. What kills you doesn't matter anyway." 

 

Issue I find is that if the weather is bad, sitting at home doing nothing isn't good for your cardio fitness - again I prioritise this quite some since I have a half marathon to run on 3 November so I dare not let myself get out of shape. 

 

Burpees is as good as any way to keep up with cardio. I mean we don't want incidents of you running in a blizzard or something crazy. Science says for cardio, your heart doesn't care if you're running, swimming, cycling etc, it still helps - which is why many runners cross train swimming because it's non weight bearing and still gives cardio workout.