Bigm's Bull in a China Shop Challenge

[aj_rock]

How I feel about the prospective book:

 

[bigm141414]

So I owe you guys some updates: 

 

Wed: 

 

CF lifting stuff 15 min AMRAP of: 

 

25 burpees 

50 push press (65lbs)

25 knees2chest 

 

1 round + 5 push presses before time was called 

 

Thursday: 

 

CF For time 

 

12-9-6-3 

Power snatch - 65lbs 

Burpees 

 

6min 16 seconds 

 

 

GMB: 

 

Inverted ring rows - 3x8

Assisted pullups - 3x8

Negative pullups - 3x5

Jumping tuck to inverted hang - 10 reps 

 

 

The the invertered hangs were a lot harder than I thought. They program called for 3x8 but I could not get it down. It ended up being more like 4,3,3. I was swinging all over the place after the jump up. Need to learn to control the rings better. I may repeat week one again because Day 2 kicked my ass so completely. Even the negative pullups hurt. (But then again I had just done a workout. Now I know to schedule my ring work differently )

[Shoshie]

Thai food!  Seriously, tom yum soup is basically my go-to meal when I can't be bothered to do real cooking and am craving Thai food.  I made it last night and everything was wonderful.

 

Also, inverted hangs consistently kick my ass.  The happy face in my avatar is actually complete shock that I managed to get my big ass upside down.

[Waldo]

How are you doing the ring rows? Supportng your feet on something? Or doing them in a front lever variant? Just trying to picture them.

[bigm141414]

Knees at 90 degrees, body parallel to the floor at the bottom (arms stretched out) 

[Wolverine]

How are you doing the ring rows? Supportng your feet on something? Or doing them in a front lever variant? Just trying to picture them.

 

[bigm141414]

^ Yup just like that. 

 

So updates. Weekend was crap. Ate terribly and my body is paying the price. So hit the gym hard today. Went back and started on Week 1 again because I was not comfortable with moving on. IT's a good thing. 

 

So onto what I did: 

 

RTO Top holds 3x8 3 second holds. 

Assisted Ring Dips - 4x8 

Ring Pushups - 3x8 

Plank holds 3x 12seconds 

Moutain climbers - 3x10 

 

So the top holds I changed up how I was doing them. Last week I was trying to hold for 5 seconds, then fall to the floor and reset after each rep. This time I worked on holding the RTO for 3 seconds then return to a normal top hold. I was able to string 4 reps together before I got too wobbly and had to reset. So not bad. Rotation is getings better too. I can get both hands out to about 60 degrees now 

 

Ring dips I decided to do with a band. It helped. 

 

Pushups, planks, and mountain climbers are all easy so I am going to up the sets next week.

 

My shoulders feel pretty good this week. Over the weekend they were all kinds of achy and tight but after tonight they feel better. It has been a while since I've had DOMS like this. Hooray for new movements! 

 

On the other front, my new membership kicked in this week at my CF gym. I can now come in and do whatever I want. Which is good because their ceilings are taller than mine  

[Aeryn]

Ring dips with a band! My mind = blown. Why have I never thought of this? I have a band attached to my pullup bar... right next to my rings! Oh, this is going to be fuuuuuun. 

 

Nice workout, and smart decision to repeat a week, if you're still getting progress out of it. And yay for shoulders feeling good - it's amazing how fast we adapt to new stuff, isn't it?

[bigm141414]

Thanks Aeryn! 

 

And yeah, bands. They are great for a lot of things. The way GMB instructs you to do assisted dips is by placing your feet on the floor to take some of your weight. But this is very hard to keep consistent. So bands work out really well to maintain a decent level of exertion. 

 

I'm glad my body is finally adapting. I hate being sore.

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

We do not pay for things with bags of oil in Texas.  We are not barbarians.

 

 

 

We use jars for goodness' sake.

[empeg9000]

Nice, a warrior in our midst.

 

Well bigm, I have a lot of the same issues you do.  Having an ape armed frame at 6'1", >200 lbs is pretty far from ideal for being any good at BW work.  I fully accept that a full lay planche is not in my future.  Straddle planche is a reasonable goal though, they look cooler anyway IMHO.

Same here. A lot of the exercise where feet have to be out in front or various lever exercises seem pretty tough. 

 

Day 1! 

 

So what follows is a bunch of non-assasin-y stuff but logging for tracking purposes. Please feel free to skip over the fine print

 

 

EMON for 7 min - Snatch grip DL, Power Snatch, Full snatch @ 85lbs 

5 min AMRAP 30 box jumps, 30 sit ups - 2 rounds 5 box jumps

 

Okay, now that that is outta the way, R1 Week 1 Day 1 Novice. Since it is the first day i decided to do the minimim sets/reps to gauge the toughness of the workout. So 3x8 for everything

 

Top postion hold RTO 5 sec - 3x8 (3 sets of 8 5 second holds)

 

These were tough and I was all kinds of unstable. I can hold at the tope with rings turned in for like 25 secs but RTO is a new level of difficulty thatr I was not expecting. Te last few holds were really wobbly and my right arm had difficult maintaining the outward rotation. It was no where near 90 degrees out, probably 50-60degrees at best. Not bad for a first time 

 

RPE - 8 

RPT - 5ish? probably more like a 3 towards the end

 

Assited Dips - 3x8 

So I had my feet on the floor for these. I I pretty much did a slow dip negative focusing on keeping my hands close in and making sure my biceps hit the rings. Then used my feet to push myself back up with the least amount of force possible. Not bad 

 

RPE - 8

RPT - 6ish. 

 

Assisted Pushups - 3x8 

 

I lowered hte rings to probably a foot and a half above the group. The videos say I shoulda been on my knees but I decided more elevation at a full body is a better way to go. Pretty easy. 

 

RPE - 5

RPT - 8 

 

Plank holds- 3sets of 8 second holds 

 

Easy. I probably should have done 8reps of 8 seconds. I don't know what I was thinking. 

 

RPE - 2

RPT -8 

 

Mountain Climbers - 3x 8 

 

Hard part was keeping the rings stable while my legs flailed about. 

 

RPE - 4 

RPT - 6ish 

 

 

So that's it. The ring dips and holds were the worst part. My shoulders are all kinds of achy. It's a good thing. I also got about 10min of rolling out and mobility stuff afterwards. Gonna hit the roller/lax ball a little bit more while my dinner cooks. 

 

As for reading I have finished 4 chapters of OG so far. Most of it is a review of programming ideology that I know about already. 

 

On to day 2! 

Awesome workout. I will be following you because I am thinking about getting that plan myself. I am current;y doing a very basic version from them which is the free one but of course I don't get any of the progressions. 

Dude your photos look pretty good too. I should probably post some but i'm a chicken. 

[bigm141414]

Same here. A lot of the exercise where feet have to be out in front or various lever exercises seem pretty tough. 

 

Awesome workout. I will be following you because I am thinking about getting that plan myself. I am current;y doing a very basic version from them which is the free one but of course I don't get any of the progressions. 

Dude your photos look pretty good too. I should probably post some but i'm a chicken. 

 

Thanks empeg! The progressions are really nice, and since I have been doing the rings now for two weeks, I have found a lot of upper body weaknesses that I have been ignoring for a long time. I've discovered my pulling muscles are considerably weaker than my pushing muscles. The rows and pullups have been just killing me lately. 

 

Also, weirdly the sorest part of my body now is my triceps. And here I thought they were pretty strong. Who knew....

 

I know I owe y'all a better update but life is getting in the way. I'll try to post some details this weekend. 

[empeg9000]

Thanks empeg! The progressions are really nice, and since I have been doing the rings now for two weeks, I have found a lot of upper body weaknesses that I have been ignoring for a long time. I've discovered my pulling muscles are considerably weaker than my pushing muscles. The rows and pullups have been just killing me lately. 

 

Also, weirdly the sorest part of my body now is my triceps. And here I thought they were pretty strong. Who knew....

 

I know I owe y'all a better update but life is getting in the way. I'll try to post some details this weekend. 

Awesome! I am also very weak in the pulling exercises. I have been doing my quasi ring workout for about 3 weeks. I am only doing the rows though not the pull ups. So how many rows and pull ups do you do?

This plan give you the whole routine? or just here is a bunch of exercises and now go do some?

 

That is strange that your triceps are so sore but then again I am not sure what exercises you've been doing.

 

No worries on the updates. 

[bigm141414]

Awesome! I am also very weak in the pulling exercises. I have been doing my quasi ring workout for about 3 weeks. I am only doing the rows though not the pull ups. So how many rows and pull ups do you do?

This plan give you the whole routine? or just here is a bunch of exercises and now go do some?

 

That is strange that your triceps are so sore but then again I am not sure what exercises you've been doing.

 

No worries on the updates. 

 

 

So the GMB program is an actuall structured program. So it lays out what you do everyday of the week (3 days of ring work, the rest is rest/stretching/leg accesory work). 

 

For rows and pullups it is 3-5 sets of 8-12 reps. It all depends on your current physical level. Right now the pullups are killing me so i am at like 3x6 on those. Rows I can eek out 4x8.

[empeg9000]

So the GMB program is an actuall structured program. So it lays out what you do everyday of the week (3 days of ring work, the rest is rest/stretching/leg accesory work). 

 

For rows and pullups it is 3-5 sets of 8-12 reps. It all depends on your current physical level. Right now the pullups are killing me so i am at like 3x6 on those. Rows I can eek out 4x8.

Awesome! I am pretty certain I will probably pick it up. 

[bigm141414]

Whoooo! Spring Break!!!! I'm allowed to celebrate this right? Even though I have a full time job and won't actually be vacationing? I'll take it. 

 

So things have been progressing. Slowly. RTO top holds still elude me. I'm getting better but the position still feels very unnatural to me. So in order to get some work in on them I've started doing planks with RTO. I figure since it is less weight to hold up I'll give my muscles a change to get used to the position. Tucks to inverted hangs are better and I dont swing all over the place now. I can string 2 of them in a row, so progress. 

 

I may end up GTG for the ring holds through the week for the extra practice. Pullups and rows still slay me, but seem to be getting easier. At least my arms aren't giving out as soon. 

 

Oh and my tucked l-sit is up to 6 second holds. And, and, and I tried sticking my legs out and help for like half a second with them extended half way out.  

 

 

Mobility is going well. Shoulders and hips are ungluing nicely. I've broken out all my mobility toys (roller, lacrosse ball, bands, kettlebell {yes a KB can be used for mobility}) and placed them in my living room for easy access. The benefits of living alone lemme tell ya. 

 

Still working my way through OG. I am really liking the sections on injury prevention so I am taking my time to really understand most of the stuff. 

[Elastigirl]

Awesome stuff! How do you use the Kb's for mobility?

[Waldo]

Nice progress on the L-sits.

 

I think you'll find pretty rapid progress with them.  I don't think it took me but 3-4 months to go from barely can hold for a little bit to yawn.  Abs progress fast in my experience and the same muscles that push the shoulders down are largely the same (though different areas) as the muscles that you use to shrug, most people can at least shrug what they can deadlift, so there is a huge amount of untapped strength potential there.

[empeg9000]

Nice work BigM. Tried the holding the DB during the pistol squat. You and Waldo were right . It definitely helped. 

[Aeryn]

Whoooo! Spring Break!!!! I'm allowed to celebrate this right? Even though I have a full time job and won't actually be vacationing? I'll take it. 

 

So things have been progressing. Slowly. RTO top holds still elude me. I'm getting better but the position still feels very unnatural to me. So in order to get some work in on them I've started doing planks with RTO. I figure since it is less weight to hold up I'll give my muscles a change to get used to the position. Tucks to inverted hangs are better and I dont swing all over the place now. I can string 2 of them in a row, so progress. 

 

I may end up GTG for the ring holds through the week for the extra practice. Pullups and rows still slay me, but seem to be getting easier. At least my arms aren't giving out as soon. 

 

Oh and my tucked l-sit is up to 6 second holds. And, and, and I tried sticking my legs out and help for like half a second with them extended half way out.

 

 

Mobility is going well. Shoulders and hips are ungluing nicely. I've broken out all my mobility toys (roller, lacrosse ball, bands, kettlebell {yes a KB can be used for mobility}) and placed them in my living room for easy access. The benefits of living alone lemme tell ya. 

 

Still working my way through OG. I am really liking the sections on injury prevention so I am taking my time to really understand most of the stuff.

Heck yeah you can celebrate Spring Break, I sure am - even though I'm still at work, it's actually nice just having fewer people on campus. Easy parking FTW!

The more you post about ring training, the more I totally want to do the actual program in a future challenge. I've been trying various things (Support holds, pushups, bodyweight rows), but RTO eludes me completely, and I'm definitely going to have to try a tuck to inverted hold tonight...

Haha, living alone means never having to apologize for your random mobility stuff all over the living room. I do half my workout in the basement and half in the middle of the living room, and I was just thinking this morning how awesome it is that I can use the whole house for workouts instead of just one corner. And my mobility stuff is in the living room, too - I find I'm much more willing to hold positions for longer if I can watch tv or listen to music while I'm doing it. You have any favorite shoulder mobility exercises?

[bigm141414]

Awesome stuff! How do you use the Kb's for mobility?

 

Thanks! So for mobility I use my KB in a variety of ways.

 

1) As a heavy lacrosse ball. There are times and places where smashing a LAX ball into my muscles just doesn't work since I can't smash hard enough. For example when I need to roll out my forearms after a grip intensive workout (Der Claw!!!) I don't have enough mass or energy in my arms to get the proper pressure. Enter the KB. Set that 20kg bad boy on there and just roll it around. Easy peasy. 

 

2) As a counterweight for deep squat holds. If you have ever seen MWOD #1 you know about the 10 min squat test. I do these regularly to improve my hips. Lately I have been switching up my stance to try and keep my chest more vertical. This takes a bit more ankle mobility than I posses because my knees actually travel out in front of my toes. This is due to the long limbed nature of how I built and where my center of gravity lies. So in order to be able to keep my back vertical i use a KB to help balance me. 

 

 

Nice progress on the L-sits.

 

I think you'll find pretty rapid progress with them.  I don't think it took me but 3-4 months to go from barely can hold for a little bit to yawn.  Abs progress fast in my experience and the same muscles that push the shoulders down are largely the same (though different areas) as the muscles that you use to shrug, most people can at least shrug what they can deadlift, so there is a huge amount of untapped strength potential there.

 

Thanks Waldo. My biggest issue right now is balance and breathing. I can definitely hold myself up but I need to learn to breath during the hold without losing my balance. This issue also shows up when I do yoga-esque movements. The warrior in me always takes a deep breath and holds it throughout the movement, it is just a natural state for me. Learning how to breath properly is crucial for some of this stuff since it lasts for more than 1 rep  

 

Nice work BigM. Tried the holding the DB during the pistol squat. You and Waldo were right . It definitely helped. 

 

Thanks empeg! Glad the DB is helping out.  

 

Heck yeah you can celebrate Spring Break, I sure am - even though I'm still at work, it's actually nice just having fewer people on campus. Easy parking FTW!

The more you post about ring training, the more I totally want to do the actual program in a future challenge. I've been trying various things (Support holds, pushups, bodyweight rows), but RTO eludes me completely, and I'm definitely going to have to try a tuck to inverted hold tonight...

Haha, living alone means never having to apologize for your random mobility stuff all over the living room. I do half my workout in the basement and half in the middle of the living room, and I was just thinking this morning how awesome it is that I can use the whole house for workouts instead of just one corner. And my mobility stuff is in the living room, too - I find I'm much more willing to hold positions for longer if I can watch tv or listen to music while I'm doing it. You have any favorite shoulder mobility exercises?

 

 

I know right? I can't imagine if I had roommates and they saw me flopping around on top of a LAX ball in the middle of the living room. I'd have to go hide in my room. 

 

Definitely try the tuck to inverted hold (it is actually a jump tuck into inverted hold for clarity's sake). It will give you a new perspective on life. Literally. It still freaks me out being upside down and I always have the nagging voice in my head saying "don't let go or you'll fall on your head!" 

 

For shoulders I like shoulder dislocations, banded distractions, and some external rotation cues. The last one I am just starting to do and it seems to help with the all important RTO since externally rotating my shoulder blades under a heavy load (i.e ME!) is where I have issues. 

[Elastigirl]

Great mobility ideas, thanks.

[Aeryn]

Definitely try the tuck to inverted hold (it is actually a jump tuck into inverted hold for clarity's sake). It will give you a new perspective on life. Literally. It still freaks me out being upside down and I always have the nagging voice in my head saying "don't let go or you'll fall on your head!" 

 

For shoulders I like shoulder dislocations, banded distractions, and some external rotation cues. The last one I am just starting to do and it seems to help with the all important RTO since externally rotating my shoulder blades under a heavy load (i.e ME!) is where I have issues.

Haha, that's also what I'm thinking the entire time I do a handstand. Thanks for the shoulder links - I can definitely use those. Another random question - I'm assuming you're having to change the height of your rings regularly - have you marked the straps somehow to know what height is right, or are you just going by eye? Every time I change mine, they end up at a slightly different height.

[Knightwatch]

Thanks Aeryn! 

 

And yeah, bands. They are great for a lot of things. The way GMB instructs you to do assisted dips is by placing your feet on the floor to take some of your weight. But this is very hard to keep consistent. So bands work out really well to maintain a decent level of exertion. 

 

I'm glad my body is finally adapting. I hate being sore.

 

I'm a big fan of this shirt, myself.

 

http://dnfapparel.com/index.php/men-s-store/men-s-band-t-shirt.html

 

Sounds like you're doing great!  I so wanna try this GMB program!

[Red1263]

Hey hey! Glad to see that you're progressing, Buddy! I'm still trying to get the handstand thing down myself I'm glad to see you trying it as well!