BopGun tries to lose bodyfat and get stronger (in that order)

[BopGun]

Friday: 2100 in pool

2x200; :30

1700

 

I had to cut this short because I was running late for work.

[BopGun]

Saturday: Foam rolling & core stuff

 

18" box goblet squats -- 15# dumbbell -- 3x10

That's more like it. I actually believe for once that I kept the lumbar arch on all reps.

 

Leg press -- 215 -- 3x10

Hey, that's better. Even pressing from both legs and both hips. Will use 225 next time.

 

Neutral-grip chins: Chest JUST shy of hands position / Chest JUST shy of hands position / Stall halfway up

Damn it, I am VERY close to finally getting one rep done as it should be done. Baby steps.

 

Barbell 'ankle' stretch: 2x :45

 

Hip hinges -- 10" from wall surface -- 3x10

Had an easier time with these here than any other time I've tried them.

 

Pushups -- 3x10

Whew. I needed rest breaks of 4:30, which is longer than I'd like, and I JUST BARELY got the last two of the day, but I did get 'em.

 

Rest day today.

[mitch_dee]

Muhahahahahaha........I am here now, you will never be rid of me!!!!!!!!!!

[BopGun]

Damn it. Mitch_dee, you are like a bout of syphilis. You're right. I WON'T get rid of you.

 

Today: 2500 in pool

2x200; :30 rests

1700; 1:00

200; :30

5x40 sprints; :30

[BopGun]

Tuesday: Foam rolling & core stuff

 

17" goblet box squats -- 20# dumbbell -- 3x10

I wouldn't have both lowered the box an inch AND upped the weight of the dumbbell, but the 15# dumbbells were in use elsewhere.

 

Leg press -- 225 -- 3x10

Not unstable like rickety, but a little less even between the two legs than I'd like. Still, not too bad.

 

Neutral-grip chins -- Chest almost up to hands level, less than an inch away / Lips stopping at hands level / Stall halfway up

Damn it. Now that my weight has dropped into the 180s, I think I'll be able to get all the way up for one rep by Saturday.

 

Barbell 'ankle' stretch -- 2x :45

 

Hip hinges -- 10" from wall surface -- 3x10

I am seriously considering dropping these, as I think I'm fucking them up. I know what SHOULD be done, but I am not at all convinced it's what I am actually doing.

 

Pushups -- 3x10

3x10 was such an ordeal on Saturday that I wanted a little more confidence in my ability to get them before trying anything more. It was tough, certainly, but after getting them again today I think I can try to advance next time.

[BopGun]

2700 in the pool today, split up because the lap lanes were full in the morning and I couldn't get into them early enough to get 2500 in before work.

 

Before work: 4x200; :30 rests

5x40 sprints; :30

 

During lunch: 1700

[BopGun]

This morning: Foam rolling & core stuff

 

17" box goblet squats -- 15# dumbbell -- 3x10

I'll have to hammer at them for a while at this box height. Having a hard time maintaining tightness on the last inch or two of the descent into the hole.

 

Neutral-grip chins: Stall halfway up because grip slipped/Chin above hands but chest not quite up to that level/Chin just up to hands level/Mouth up to hands

Bah. I swear to God, I fail reps for the most ass reasons possible. I HOPE that it was the additional volume of the attempt to compensate for that first rep that led me to struggle here.

 

Leg press -- 215 -- 3x10

OK, that's more like it, but I still need more even pressing between the two sides before I'm comfortable slipping two 45s onto the sled.

 

Pushups -- 11/11/9

I failed halfway up on the 10th rep of set 3. Hopefully I can get 3x11 on Saturday.

 

I decided to ditch the barbell 'ankle' stretch because it doesn't actually hit my ankles at all and activates the glutes instead, making it duplication of the stretching I do every night, and the hip hinges because I feel they're also a bit too close to duplicating what I already do with the stretching.

[BopGun]

2500 in the water this morning.

 

2x200; :30 rests

1700; 1:00

400

 

I didn't have the time this morning to break up the remainder that follows the 1700 into what I usually do (200 & then some sprints), so I tried to sprint through the last 5 laps instead without taking a rest break.

[BopGun]

I used Saturday as an off day and moved that workout to yesterday instead.

 

Sunday: Foam rolling and core stuff

 

17" box goblet squats -- 15# dumbbell -- 3x10

Still challenging.

 

Neutral-grip chins: Stall halfway up/Stall halfway up/Stall halfway up

I was spewing WTF?s as quickly as my lips could utter them at this point. Something was wrong, as would be made plain to me shortly.

 

Leg press -- 215 -- 3x10

 

Pushups -- 9/8/6

 

Weighed in at...199.7?!?!?!?!?!?! An eyelash short of 15 pounds of extra weight in 8 days?

I had become bored with calorie restrictions and decided to abandon them for a week. It was DELICIOUS.

Pizza, burgers, soda, beer, ice cream...all kinds of shit that I have eaten very little of for the last year and a half.

I would have been willing to gain a few pounds, but 15? Unreal.

 

This really brought me down, as anyone who was in chat last night could tell you.

[BopGun]

Today: 2500 in the pool

2x200; :30 rests

1700; 1:00

200; :30

5x40 sprints; :30

 

With the sodium and water bloat still hitting me full force, this was HARRRRRRRD. This was one of the hardest days in the pool I've had since I made it through 1500 continuously for the first time many months ago. Seems I had it coming, though.

[BopGun]

This morning: Foam rolling & core stuff

Incidentally, I feel planks more in my lower back than in the abs, where I should. I just read that you really need to squeeze the glutes hard to encourage the abs to engage instead of the lumbar, but in my attempts to bring that about today, I failed once again.

 

17" box goblet squats -- 15# dumbbell -- 3x10

I could be forgiven for thinking these are slowly getting a bit easier. Still doesn't mean they're easy, though.

 

Neutral-grip chins: Chin up to hands level/Nose up to hands level/Stall halfway up

OK, at least some of the bloat is going away.

 

Leg press -- 215 -- 3x10

These felt pretty stable most of the time. A few reps kinda got away from me, though. I'll see how Friday goes and if it goes well, I'll use two big plates next week.

 

Pushups -- 9/9/7

This was another good sign. Hopefully the bloat will be gone in another few days.

[Reika]

Dude you're doing awesome! Keep at it

 

When we stumble we are given a gift. The opportunity to jump back up and kill it

[BopGun]

Thank you, Reika! I am trying to keep these things in mind as I clamber to my feet again.

 

2500 in the pool today:

2x200; :30 rests

1700; 1:00

200; :30

5x40 sprints; :30

 

A bit easier than Monday, though still not easy. That'll learn me.

[BopGun]

Thanksgiving Day: I did pull together a home workout with the gym closed.

 

Foam rolling & core stuff

 

17" box squats to sofa that I measured to that height: 3x10

 

Pushups: 3x10

Cool! I thought at this point that I was back on the horse, as it were.

[BopGun]

Friday: After buying a new swimsuit to replace one that is now falling off of me and also buying several pairs of badly-needed new shoes, I used the new suit as I did 2500 in the pool.

 

2x200; :30 rests

1700; 1:00

200; :30

5x40 sprints; :30

[BopGun]

Saturday: Foam rolling & core stuff

 

17" box goblet squats -- 15# dumbbell -- 3x10

Hrrrrrrrrrrrgh. Had a difficult time with them today, specifically with maintaining tension on the way down rather than just collapsing onto the box.

 

Neutral-grip chins: Chin slightly above hands position/Chin up to hands position/Nose up to hands

 

Leg press -- 215 -- 3x10

They didn't feel GREAT, but I'm confident enough in the evenness of them to finally put two 45s on either side next time.

 

Pushups -- 11/11/10

I wanted 3x11 today and almost got it, failing an inch or two off the floor on the final rep.

 

Weighed more than I expected to: 195.7. While this is disappointing on one level, it's nice on another to still be making progress on pushups weighing 10ish pounds more than I was when I got through 11/11/9.

 

Today was an off-day after going clubbing with Flex Luthor Saturday night. Back at it at noonish in the pool (I work the night shift tomorrow).

[BopGun]

2500 yards in the pool this afternoon before work:

 

2x200; :30 rests

1700

200; :30

5x40 sprints, :30

[BopGun]

This morning: Foam rolling & core stuff

 

17" box goblet squats -- 15# dumbbell -- 3x10

Ooch. Ow. Ouch. Fleshy midsection was really feeling these today...which I guess is the objective, isn't it?

 

Neutral-grip chins: Not sure exactly how far up each was, but definitely each was short of sternum-to-hands

I also did something new here. After reading in quite a few places lately that weakness at the top of one's range of motion on chins/pullups can be addressed through static holds at the top, I held each rep for 10 seconds once reaching the upper ROM limit that my strength would allow.

 

OH, HELL, was that hard!!! My arms, shoulders and back were quivering for a looooooong time after each rep, even with 2:00 rest after each. In fact, I had an ouchie on the right side of my mid-back and some pain there for a while. I think I pulled my right lat. I *think*.

 

Because I didn't want to work through pain, I bagged it at this point and went to work. However, I felt a LOT better an hour or so after arriving at work, so I went back to the gym during what would have been lunch and picked things back up.

 

Warmed back up with two more neutral-grip chin reps with :10 static hold at top of ROM.

 

Leg press -- 225 -- 3x10

These felt surprisingly good. I think the extra time to assure that I'm pressing evenly with both legs before advancing in weight is helping.

 

Pushups -- 3x11 ?????

Would you say 11, 11 and then 10 with a stall halfway up on the 11th because you're out of breath, a :10 wait to gather a little breath and then doing the 11th rep (since I could feel that I had enough strength in me to do it) counts as 3x11? I would say so, but if any of you reading this disagree, I'll edit it.

[BopGun]

gijoe has alerted me to the idea that he would not count what I did yesterday as 3x11, so I won't, either, but he did clear me to try to progress through more pushups tomorrow. Will go for 12/12/AMRAP.

 

This morning: 2500 in the pool

2x200; :30 rests

1700; 1:00

200; :30

5x40 sprints; :30

 

It might just be me, but I'd swear my arms and feet seemed to be churning like pistons this morning. This is not to say that I move all that quickly (I don't...), but I think I was the least fatigued at the end of the 1700 that I ever have. I even sprinted the last length of that, which I had never sensed myself having enough in the tank to be able to do until today.

[BopGun]

Yesterday: Foam rolling & core stuff

 

Pushups -- 12/12/11

Given how this is my primary area of concern at the moment, I thought I'd see what happened if I moved them to the front of my workout rather than leaving them for last. I have to say I like what happened here, but I'm not crazy about something that happened that I'll mention in a minute.

 

17" box goblet squats -- 15# dumbbell -- 3x10

Oof. MUCH harder than usual, though I could still do them.

 

Neutral-grip chins -- Stall halfway up/Stall halfway up/Stall halfway up

This was once again with a :10 static hold at the highest position that I could reach.

Bah. My entire upper body was still quivering at this point after doing the pushups first and adding a rep to each set. Granted, I may not be able yet to pull myself up high enough to get sternum-to-hands, but I know I'm capable even right now of more than this. I just don't have as much remaining in the tank for the rest of the workout when ordering things this way. This kind of worries me, frankly.

 

Leg press -- 225 -- 3x10

OK, at least this went well enough. Some of the reps didn't engage the hips as much as I'd like, and that's on me. I'll try 225 one more time tomorrow and if that 3x10 goes well, I'll bump it up after that.

[BopGun]

This morning: 2500 in the pool

 

2x200; :30 rests

1700; 1:00

200; :30

5x40 sprints; :30

 

I am hardly fast in the water, as you likely know. However, I felt like I was moving...noticeably faster during the 1700 and during the sprints than I'm used to. Maybe I'm finally reaching after all this time a point that I never reached when I swam in high school...a point at which speed begins to develop.

[BopGun]

Saturday: Foam rolling & core stuff

 

Pushups -- 12/12/10

I didn't want to admit this on Thursday, but I kinda cheated a couple of reps there. My azz led my torso off the floor maybe 3 times and I don't think I would have managed the 12/12/11 otherwise...as demonstrated today. I was much more careful with technique and stalled halfway up on the 11th rep of set 3. I know I didn't cheat 'em, though, and I still have a chance to pick up the gauntlet of 3x15 by the end of the year that gijoe threw down in front of me a while back.

 

17" box goblet squats -- 15# dumbbell -- 3x10

I had to fail myself on a few reps and do them again not because I couldn't make it out of the hole or anything, but because I could feel myself losing tension on the descent at times or felt my knees caving in at other times. Did eventually manage to get 'em, though.

 

Neutral-grip chins w/:10 static hold at top -- Chin to hands/Nose to hands/Stall halfway up

OK, that's better. My chest and shoulders were going crazy by the third attempted rep. They were still feeling it from the pushups, just like on Thursday.

 

Leg press -- 225 -- 3x10

I could feel my hips leaving the seat slightly on some reps. Did those again, making sure I kept them down. It's very difficult for me to do that.

 

Weighed in at 191.1 at the end of all this, so I'm glad that fat loss is likely underway again.

[childofscorn]

Atta boy I'm constantly pleased and surprised at how you can push yourself so hard and still produce such consistently excellent results.  

[BopGun]

*hugs scorn*

 

You're certainly aware that these things really aren't that taxing to anyone with any actual fitness proficiency (not even excellence, but proficiency), but they do indeed kick my ass...a sign of how far down the totem pole I was starting out.

 

BeamofTheTurtle just reminded me in chat that I hadn't updated today yet.

 

2500 in the water

 

2x200; :30 rests

1700; 1:00

200; :30

5x40 sprints

 

Both today and Friday, this 2500 took me just under an hour. This used to take me an hour and 10 minutes or more. Getting somewhere, maybe?

[BeamofTheTurtle]

My art teacher told me something a long time ago, and it applies in everything: "We all start off as beginniners. With patience, luck, and lots of practice we become better. We only earn the title of 'Master' after we die, and only then because we can no longer practice. But, until then, you're still a beginner, you're just a better one."

 

It may sound silly to some, but it resonated with me in a way I cannot explain. You might be a beginner, Bopgun- but you're better I'm so happy for your progress, as it inspires more of my own! Keep it up!