Sahaja's getting back to speed

[Sahaja]

    Don't know if this is technically a respawn, more of a shift in practice.  Two factors have popped up that are changing my weekly routine...

    The first change is finally getting an angry elbow bursa to calm down and heal up.  It started causing a ruckus late last march so I had to give up my heaviest training habits and go to restorative practices.  Many months of sticking to easier yoga and rehab movements I finally got to the point where all the abnormal weakness, twinges of pain, and day-after-rehab soreness are gone.  So a couple weeks ago I started adding basic arm balance work, light dumbbells, and kettlebell swings, I get mild soreness in the same areas I was getting it through my rehab process so it seems normal and manageable.  I'll spend another 4 weeks or so getting ready to work heavy again.
    The second factor is... The small yoga studio I teach for has moved classes into a local gym.  We got cheaper rent, it's closer to most of our current students (and me), and we get access to a new base of possible students.  We also get free access to the gym.  It's not super fancy but it has the basics, friendly folks, lots of free weights, and it's in a nice neighborhood in downtown Fredericksburg.
    Also keep in mind that I'm 46 years old, I need to be pain free and limber enough to teach several yoga classes a week, and I like to have energy to live a life.  In other words, my goals aren't about maximizing, getting huge, or getting competition strong.  My goals are about quality of life.  I want my workouts to be productive and have easy recovery so I can enjoy whatever activities I have going on outside the gym/studio.  I want to be strong and move easy, and I want to keep in good enough shape to be taken seriously as a professional yoga teacher.

 

    To those ends I've set up a routine that only works heavy twice a week.  One that only pushes one movement near training max and keeps reps low, but still includes a useful head-to-toe workout each trip to the weight room.  It also includes the fitness habits already in my life.

 

Weekly Routine Elements:
*Daily restorative yoga/meditation (15-30min)

*A couple focused, deep yoga practices (75-90min)

*A day of body movement work (30-60min) that includes Pranayama after two or three of the following:
-Turkish get ups
-Grip/Wrist/Elbow strength work
-Gracie Drills
-Burpees
-Advanced asana (Inversion/Arm Balance progressions)
-Kettlebell swings
-Random, what ever I feel like messing with, play

*A couple days of resistance strength work (60 min), based around these movements:
-Squat/dead-lift (lower body)
-Bench/OHP/Dips (u.b. Push)
-Rows/pull-ups (u.b. Pull)

*A couple days of rest with nothing but restorative yoga/meditation, and maybe a walk.

 

My Strength workouts will look roughly like this:
*Strength day 1
Squats
Bench

 

Straight leg dead-lift/leg curls
Dips
Rows
Hollow rock prog.
Reverse Butterflys

 

*Strength day 2
Overhead/Arnold press
Dead-lift

 

Hanging leg raise
Side bends/Side plank
Pull-ups
Back Lunges
Curls/Hammer Curls

 

    These two days are really 4 workouts over 2 weeks.  The first two movements of each day are 'target' movements that I'll train near my max capability (Squats and Bench, Overhead press and  Dead-lift), but I'll only do one of the two at full weight for 3 sets, the other target move will only get 1 set at full weight, then I'll swap the main targets each week.
    The other way I add variety is each line where I list two movements with a /, those two will get rotated week to week.  Those pairs either hit the same muscles in a different way(Overhead/Arnold press), or complimentary muscles that work with the ones targeted in the other move(Curls/Hammer Curls).

 

Warmups for Strength days:~5min easy roadwork, a handful of Sun Salutes, a set of 10 Kettlebell swings.

 

'Main' target movements: 3x5 warm up starting light progressively adding, finish with 3x5 at target weight.
'Off' target: 4 sets of 5 progressively adding weight, last set at target weight.
Accessory work: ~3x5 with reasonable weight, or wherever I am in progression

 

Cool down for Strength days: 10 Kettlebell swings, a handful of Sun Salutes, Cow Face Pose (and a Savasana relaxation if I can get away with it).

 

I welcome any questions, comments, and good wishes