Battling at the Speed of Lou

[Lou186000]

Part 2 of Day 11 of 30 Days of Gravity

 

Today's

- set 1 = 21 push-ups (I'm pretty sure this is a personal best, at least for my adulthood)

rest 27 seconds

- set 2 = 3 push-ups

rest 3 seconds

- set 3 = 2 push-ups

rest until tomorrow

[Lou186000]

morning cardio done!

[Lou186000]

Been a couple of days since I posted, but still managed to get some exercise in.

 

Just finished Day 14 of 30 Days of Gravity. This was lower body stuff; I've been generally pretty good with leg strength, so I managed to do Level 3 of the exercises, which was 140 reps of each. I'll note that per the instructions of the routine, I took as much time as I needed. So I had to pause for a few seconds in every exercise, but I never took more than 5 seconds. I didn't want it to feel like a rest between a set, just a quick rest to, you know, keep me from dying.

 

Part 1

Lunge Steps: 140 reps

Side leg raises: 140 reps

Squats: 140 reps

 

Part 2

wall sits to failure

set 1 = 45 seconds

set 2 = 30 seconds

set 3 = 45 seconds

 

off to bed.

[Lou186000]

day 15, 30 days of gravity

 

felt good today. in part 2 I had a personal best of 23 push-ups for my first "to failure" set.

 

part 1, 5 sets circuit

20 alt bicep curls

40 raised arm circles

40 seconds raised arm hold

 

part 2, push-ups to failure

set 1: 23

set 2: 3

set 3: 1

[Lou186000]

Getting back in the swing of things. Feel caught up on sleep for the first time in weeks, had a surprisingly solid strength session just now. Did part of an older routine, planning to do a darebee strength circuit for my next session.

Will post details later, off to prepare for the day.

 

edit -- adding routine details:

 

goblet squats: 8 @ 32lb db (4 sets)

dips: 4, 3, 1, 1

fly steps: 10 (4 sets)

bodyweight rows: 8 (4 sets, last set was hard!)

excercise ball knee tucks: 10 (4 sets, last set was hard!)

 

Including warmup this took 35 minutes.

[Lou186000]

Having some serious DOMS since Thursdsay's strength session, and I'm way okay with that. Up early to give a guitar lesson to my student in a different time zone, and will either do a strength session after or work on the music project (in the home stretch on that). Planning to find a darebee.com circuit to do today and probably Monday too.

[Lou186000]

I'm going to stretch a bit and use this space for a battle that is demanding internal strength rather than physical strength. As I strive for "fitness" I strive for strength in multiple areas: physical, mental, spiritual. I love how my physical fitness journey has strengthened the mental and spiritual pieces too, and I think it's valid for me to record some thoughts I'm having here. Anyway, it's my battle log, and I'll do with it as I please. So there.

 

The struggle is with the new job. I'm a longtime IT guy, and I have good management skills. I'm old enough and experienced enough that I can legitimately call myself "seasoned." In a nutshell, I can do a job well. So here I am in a still-new job, and I'm struggling to find a way to define "success" in this role. Now that I've been there a few months I've learned some aspects to the role that had I known about I might not have accepted -- or even pursued -- the position. Added to that is the fact that I've encountered a number of confrontational personalities at this company, all of whom present some, shall we say, "interesting" challenges. Further still, I feel like the team I manage is understaffed, and not appreciated by other departments. It's what I consider a very large company, with several thousand employees across the US and Canada. The company underwent a reorg a few weeks ago, so I no longer report to the manager who hired me. I get no feedback on my performance, and I am expected to lead without yet knowing much about the company. The "new guy" sheen wore off a couple of weeks ago, and the demands on me to "know" and "deal with" are suddenly very high, yet I operate without the institutional knowledge that seems to be a requirement for this role. It's a struggle. 

 

So what do I do? Of course it's unavoidable to consider looking for a new job, and I may do just that. It's hard to go there intellectually when I'm not sure I've given this job a fair chance. And at the same time I have to ask, have I been given a fair chance to do this job? What would someone else do differently? Would the choices that hypothetical someone makes be better? More effective?

 

Maybe I have to change my terms. Maybe instead of "success" I should think "effective." Have I been effective so far? I think I have. The team didn't have a real manager for nearly a year, so it's as new a situation for them as for me. 

 

When I do hands-on IT work, it's all about solving problems that have very specific, measurable outcomes: does this network connection work the way it's supposed to, or does this software tool meet the user's need. In this role, I see lots of non-technological problems that don't have easy solutions. In a way these are problems that are just in need of shepherding rather than solutions. It's of course the difference between working on a technology problem versus a people problem. This is not my first management role; it's my first one that seems so unwinnable. It's my most vivid experience of a bona fide Kobayashi Maru situation. 

 

No solutions, just sharing this particular battle in my battle log. 

 

Didn't have time for strength yesterday, will do that today as well as move the tons-of-fun (and thank-goodness-I-have-it) music project forward today too.

 

 

 

[Lou186000]

Haven't been posting, I'll see if I can get myself to do that a bit more.

Had a good workout this morning, did the Darebee Fremen workout. It was tough, I could only do 2 sets. Even though I knew my push-ups and planks energy were all used up, I still had a little left so did 3 sets of alternating bicep curls. Turned out to be a good way to round out the session for me. Then it was on with the day.

Got a good walk in during lunch as well.

Tomorrow will be a recovery day, but that'll mean a walk in the morning and during lunch. Waiting excitedly for when it'll be warm enough to wear shorts outdoors in the morning (at which point it'll be way too hot to walk during the day, but you can't have everything -- where would you put it?).

onwards...

[Lou186000]

This morning's strength session was Darebee's Sherlock workout. HARD. I did manage to complete three sets. I could probably have gone a fourth set, but I was pretty draggy by the time I got through the 3rd set of 40 lunges. Including the 2-minute rest time between sets, it was taking me basically 10 minutes to do the whole thing once. That's a long time when I only allocate around 30 minutes for morning sessions, so I left it at 3 sets. I'm expecting some serious leg DOMS tomorrow.

[Lou186000]

Today was a couple of good walking sessions. Definitely having butt DOMS from yesterday's strength session, the lunges and squats were good but hard. Yesterday was actually my third strength session this week, but I might do a session tomorrow and then try and roll with a tues-thurs-sat schedule. 

[Lou186000]

While the family was out at Disney on Ice (not making that up) I seized the moment and went to see Deadpool. It's a comic I don't usually read, but I read a few older issues since the movie came out and the film kept pretty darn true to the feel of the comic. The movie was a good bit raunchier than the particular books I read, for what that's worth. The fitness part: the theater is a mile away, so my workout for the day was the walk there and back, which felt good. I had a box of peanut M&Ms while there and a bottle of water, so I didn't go too crazy (just a little). Also, I opted to not do strength today, will do that tomorrow and keep with a Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday rotation. Still having butt and leg DOMS from Thursday's session. Impressive that they're lasting this long. 

 

[fearless 2.0]

i hear you about DOMS. feel like a freaking grandma getting up from the couch. but to be honest i quite like this kind of pain because it tells me I've been kicking ass! 

[Lou186000]

Today's strength is done. I spent most of the weekend working on the last major part of a music project, and it was good and satisfying. It was a bit of a challenge to rise and get a strength session in, but it's done. 

 

Today's is a routine that I like --- not easy, but I like it.

 

Goblet squats: 4 sets of 12, 32lb db

Dips: 5, 2, 2, 1 (this is good --- thanks to time away from strength sessions my reps had dropped, they're getting back up there now. I'm still a ways away from 4 sets of 8, but I'm working my way there)

Fly steps: 4 sets of 10

Bodyweight rows: 4 sets of 8

Exercise ball knee tucks: 4 sets of 10 (this is another that was really hard after time off, feels better now)

 

 

[Lou186000]

i hear you about DOMS. feel like a freaking grandma getting up from the couch. but to be honest i quite like this kind of pain because it tells me I've been kicking ass! 

 

Yeah, totally agree --- DOMS means I worked and it was good. 

[Lou186000]

This morning was the Darebee Fremen workout again. Tough, but I actually made it through three sets this time. Walked about 1.5 miles at midday and will do a little more tonight when I walk the dog.

 

I'm planning to do the DOMS-inducing Sherlock workout on Thursday. Hoping to start just 15 minutes earlier on Thursday so I have enough time to get all those sets in.

 

 

 

 

[Lou186000]

Morning strength done! I kept my threat to do the Sherlock workout. It was a shade easier than the last go, but still very challenging. I expect to get some walking cardio in this afternoon or evening. On with the day!

[Scooby Chick]

Hey there-- how's the job going? I'm intrigued. Any insights? Any improvements? You're rocking the workouts btw. 

[Lou186000]

Hey there-- how's the job going? I'm intrigued. Any insights? Any improvements? You're rocking the workouts btw. 

 

Hey SC, thanks for asking! The job is going okay. I'm definitely feeling more at ease with the situation, though there's not been resolution. I've done two things that might have had an impact on my experience: I submitted some applications for other jobs in the area, and I've been hitting the workouts pretty consistently. I have a strong suspicion that both those actions have relieved the sense of "trapped" I'd been feeling. Of course those things don't change the job, but they've certainly bolstered my ability to cope with it. Maybe the job will improve; maybe I'll get an intriguing interview. And even though it's not my favorite job, my team seems to appreciate my presence and my support, so that certainly counts for something.

 

Thanks for the good words re: the workouts!

[Lou186000]

Friday was active recovery day (lots of walking), Saturday was essentially a day off, but I still took the dog and spent 30 minutes walking up and down steep hills at the nearby public park. Today was strength, and it was my best showing in recent memory.

• Goblet squats: 4 sets of 12 with 32lb dumbbell. These have become a bit too easy, I'll either add reps or add weight.
• Dips: 4 sets: 3, 2, 2, 1. The big win here today is that I went *much* deeper on each dip than I've ever done. So it lowers my reps a bit, but this feels much more satisfying. 
• Fly steps: 4 sets of 10. These went very smoothly today. I think partly because I'm getting stronger and partly because I had good focus during each set. 
• Bodyweight rows: 4 sets of 8. Much better here today. For a time I was doing these straight-legged, but I was never smooth at those. For the moment I'm still flat-footed, and it's still a challenging exercise.
• Exercise Ball Knee Tucks: 4 sets of 10. Much more smoothly here too. 

I suspect my improvements here are at least a partial result of how challenging the darebee.com exercises have been for me. 

 

Tonight I'm off to meet some new musicians and have a jam, which I hope will be fun. 

 

[edit: I noticed that I originally typed "steep heels" instead of "steep hills." some typos are too awesome to not acknowledge.]

[Lou186000]

Morning strength done! Still doing Darebee's Fremen workout as I've done the last two weeks. I'll say it's getting a bit easier. Still, on the third circuit I had to pep-talk myself as my arms nearly gave out on the close-grip push-ups. But I finished the set and briefly considered attempting a fourth set, but I'm not there yet and finished with three sets of alternating dumbbell curls.

 

Darebee Fremen workout, 3 sets of the circuit below:

10 squats

5 push-ups

10 shoulder taps

10 squats

5 close-grip push-ups

10 plank arm raises

10 squats

5 wide-grip push-ups

10 planks with rotations

 

Going to keep this one going weekly for a bit yet, maybe change it out for something new but similar in a couple of weeks.

 

[Lou186000]

Morning strength session done!

Another go at the Sherlock workout, and while still killer it's definitely getting easier.

Three sets of the following circuit:

40 squats

10 calf raises

5 pushups

40 punches

10 calf raises

5 pushups

40 lunges

10 calf raises

5 pushups

The lunges get really tough by the third set. I do think next time I might be able to add a set. I may also switch this exercise to my weekend session so I can go longer. Time is limited in the mornings.

On with the day...

[Lou186000]

Well, I tried a new workout today, just something to change things up a bit. Holy cow. HARD. But satisfying all the same. Today I gave Darebee's Postal workout (http://darebee.com/workouts/postal-workout.html) a go. I couldn't quite complete two sets of the circuit, so this qualifies as one that'll be easy to tell when I get better at it, because I'll be able to, you know, actually do it.

 

I had to modify the first exercise in the circuit because I'm not at this time a pull-up kinda guy. So the first exercise was bodyweight rows. Here's the circuit:

 

(to failure) bodyweight rows

20 lunges
20 lunge step-ups
40 overhead punches (surprisingly taxing)
10 push-ups (hard after doing the bw rows to failure)
10 shoulder taps
40 punches
10 wide grip push-ups
10 shoulder taps
(repeat until dead)

 

On the wide push-ups on the second set I face-planted and called it a day for the Postal. Then I did 

 

Alternating dumbbell curls, 3 sets of 20

 

And now I feel pretty well worked out.

 

[Lou186000]

Well, it's been an interesting couple of weeks. The lovely Mrs. 186000 came down with pneumonia. It started as what we thought was a terrible cold then after her condition continued to worsen she dragged herself to the doctor and basically demanded an xray of her lungs, which did indeed reveal she had pneumonia. (It was so serious I found I had to learn to spell "pneumonia," as I texted family members to say she wasn't well.) No hospital stays were required but I was so in "awareness" mode in case we had to run to the emergency room that I averaged about 4 hours sleep a night for over a week. (This data comes from my handy dandy fitbit.)

 

I did get a workout that first week, but during peak week of her condition I just didn't have the juice. When she got over the worst of it I spent the next 5 or 6 days catching up on sleep. That brings us to today, my first real strength session in a couple of weeks. Managed a Sherlock and actually looking forward to the DOMS it might generate.

 

Lots of active things to do before the day is done, which is good. Tomorrow I'll take the dog on a bit of a hike as we'll have a warm Spring day on our hands. My Mrs. is still a couple of weeks away from hiking, but she's been back at work for this whole past week and her recovery is moving along well.

 

 

[Lou186000]

morning strength done! Managed to get in 3 sets of the Darebee Fremen workout.

 

Circuit, 3 sets:

10 squats

5 push-ups

10 shoulder taps

10 squats

5 close grip push-ups

10 plank arm raises

10 squats 5 wide grip push-ups

10 planks with rotations

 

After the circuits I did 3 sets of alt db curls.

 

When I started this several weeks ago, 2 sets was my maximum. I'm not sure I'm ready for 4 or even 5 sets of this yet, but I will be soon. Also I'm completing my 3 sets more quickly than I did just 3 weeks ago, which I find interesting. 

 

Supposed to be a warm, possibly stormy day. I'm shooting to get some cardio in during the day (midday walk).

 

On with the day!

 

[Lou186000]

Man, still struggling a bit with sleep. Not me, but my wife who is still a couple of weeks away from a full recovery from her pneumonia. I suppose this may be true for others, but for me, no sleep = no exercise and terrible food choices. But I had a really good night's sleep last night, woke well before the up-at-the-last-minute alarm and got an invigorating session in on the elliptical in our basement. Good way to start the day.