Round 6: Day 83: Run

I'm still singing the praises of Nicholas Romanov and the Pose Method of Running. Today, I shaved another 30 seconds off my route, and am feeling stronger and faster all the time. Factor in that my average heart rate over the course of the route keeps dropping, and it makes for a very satisfying combination. It's almost enough to make me enjoy running. Actually, I did rather enjoy myself today. For the first time, I felt like I could (should?) be running a longer route. Perhaps I'll consider that when I head out next week. For now, I'll bask in my glory of diminishing times and moderate heart rate.

This actually ends Phase 3 of Round 6, and Recovery Week starts next week, after which this Round will be over. But wait! There's no end to this fitness journey. I've been feeling so well lately, I don't feel like I really need a Recovery Week at this time. So, I'll extend Phase 3 for another week, following which I'll take several Recovery Weeks between Rounds, during which I'll evaluate my progress during this Round and establish fitness objectives for the next.

Keep Bringing It!

Round 6: Day 82: Diamond Delts

I had some excitement riding my bike to work today: the bolt that holds my seat to my bike frame sheared in half, and my seat would have fallen off, had it not been secured to the bike by a little canvas tool bag that's strapped to the seat post. I was lucky not to have fallen off the bike, and managed to get into the office (standing up on my pedals the rest of the way). I picked up another bolt during lunchtime, and, quickly secured the seat back in place for the ride home. Good times; really good times. I will say that standing up on the pedals over a good distance will test both your arms and your core. Thankfully, both held up for the duration.

This morning's fun (prior to the seat incident) was Diamond Delts. I've been somewhat static in this workout for some time, not being able to lift heavier weights (or mentally unprepared to do so) and also stuck somewhat in the rep count. Today, I managed to squeeze out an extra rep or two on one exercise (the second round of Deep Arnold Presses) which was a major psychological victory; however, I doubt I'll be increasing weights or reps the next time around as a result. This workout is really challenging for me, and I find that at my current level, it's all I can do to match my results of the previous time. I'm managing to keep up to myself, but I'd still like to improve.

My right elbow was still a bit sore from the duffel bag lifting incident earlier this week, and I felt it when I was in the down position during pike presses. During my last pike press, my arm didn't want to respond and push me up to the start position; I had a moment of sheer terror and blind panic when I realized that I was on the verge of landing on my head. It's amazing what a little jolt of adrenalin can do for you; my right arm found a reserve of strength and pushed me back up. Mind over matter, I suppose. If only I could harness that mental energy for the rest of the exercises in the workout. That would make for some nice improvements.

Round 6: Day 81: Yoga

Each week, something happens to my body which causes aches and pains. It may be a particularly intense workout or, like this week, some minor activity which tweaks a muscle or two. A few days ago, I was toting some duffel bags for a friend. Little did I realize that said friend would load the bags to capacity, with contents whose weight was akin to buckshot (actually, it was laundry, but it felt like lead). Those were the heaviest duffels I've ever carried in my life, and bear in mind that I'm in reasonable shape. Lifting the bags caused a slight tweak in my obliques and in my right elbow. Thank goodness today was yoga.

Yoga always seems to be scheduled at the right time for me. The opportunity to stretch mid-week is such a welcome relief from workouts and duffel-toting. It's the economical way to get a full-body massage. Coming mid-week, it's also a great opportunity to blow off some mental steam and de-stress.

Following the workout, on my way out the front door, I paused for a moment, and thought about how relaxed my entire body felt. I guess that today's practice was particularly effective. Now, if I can only convince my friend to change his duffel packing habits, I'll really have peace of mind.

Namaste. 

Round 6: Day 80: Just Arms

I saw an interesting movie last night, JCVD, where Jean-Claude Van Damme plays, well, himself. It's in French, and it was nice to see Van Damme break the mould of action hero to play a completely different role. Of note to me was that in the film he stated that he was 47 (and looked it, too), but his body was still in terrific shape, especially his chest, shoulders and arms. Also, he still had that familiar hip flexibility and demonstrated that several times with a few high kicks. Although he's been in great shape pretty much his whole life, it's still inspirational to see someone close to my age look as good as he does. I get the same sense of inspiration when I see Tony Horton. I know he's been working out intensively and eating cleanly for the past 25 years, but he still acts as a role model for us older folks, even though we may have come late to the game. I'm not going to be a JCVD or a Tony Horton, but I can be the best I can be with the genes I was given.

And so, the Week 12 push continues, with Just Arms. I've had some difficulties with this routine recently, so I tried to speed up the pace a bit, keeping slightly ahead of Tony, to give myself breaks where I felt I needed them, without pausing the DVD. For the most part, this strategy worked, although my nemesis remains Hammer Curls. This should be an easier exercise for me, because the biceps are involved, but because of the weights I'm stubbornly sticking to, I've really struggled. I should probably lighten my load a little, because for the past few weeks I've only been doing 6 or 7 reps, but I'm doggedly trying to eke out 8, which I was able to do about 4 weeks ago. Sometimes you've got it, sometimes you don't. I still really enjoy this workout, which leaves my arms dangling limply by my sides at the end. I really find that it kills my forearms, which don't seem to get worked out too heavily during any other routine.

This workout, like many others, is largely psychological. I find that if I put a number in my head, then clear my mind and work towards that number, I usually succeed in my objective. If I'm distracted, or doubtful that I'll reach my number, I usually don't succeed. So much of working out is in your head. A positive attitude can really make all the difference.

Stay positive, my friends.

Round 6: Day 79: Run

Running is starting to become a habit on cardio days, now. I'm enjoying the time spent outside, as we don't have the greatest or most consistent weather in Toronto, and I've committed to taking advantage of the outdoors during our brief, but pleasant summer. I also never complain about the high humidity we frequently have. I enjoy the feeling of moist air enveloping me as I step outside first thing in the morning to take my stretches prior to starting a run. I think I prefer the warmth of humid air more than the refreshing feeling of the cooler air in the early fall. Just a personal preference, I guess.

I've been engaging in a brief series of stretches prior to running, mostly ballistic types, but throwing in some static ones as well. I've learned a lot about stretching from the various DVDs I have, and for the most part, I find that Tony Horton and Shaun T take a consistent approach to stretching. It seems that the most important stretching is done after the workout has been completed, and that one shouldn't hold a static stretch for too long. I try to adhere to that advice, so I take my post-run stretching very seriously, and use it as an opportunity to both relax my body and to slow down my breathing and heart rate. So far, this regimen seems to be effective, as I haven't felt any post-run soreness at all. As noted in previous posts, that may be due to a combination of stretching and my newly discovered running style; however, the point is that I'm running pain-free and enjoying a pain-free day afterwards.

I'm still not completely captivated by running, although I do enjoy watching the scenery pass by, rather than having the static view of my TV in front of my while I try to keep up with the participants. That's primarily what's motivating me to stay outdoors: I know that before long, I'll be inside with Shaun T, while the snow piles up outside. Take advantage while you can. On the positive side, I set a new personal best today on my running route, besting my previous time by over 30 seconds. I thought that I felt faster today, although once again, my heart rate stayed fairly low and my calorie consumption was down. I'm more excited by being able to run faster with less energy expenditure than in a high calorie burn. It bodes well for my future in running.

So far, still a great start to Week 12.

Round 6: Day 78: 30-15

Week 12 kicked off with probably my favourite routine, 30-15 (and it rhymes, to boot). I zipped through the exercises, advancing well ahead of Tony by skipping breaks and chatter. By forcing myself to stick to the pushups and pullups, and minimizing the time between exercises, I was able to complete the workout in about 50 minutes. Of course, I was completely wiped afterwards, and I was completely incapable of doing anything with my arms for the next 4 hours (including washing, eating and combing my hair) but it was well worth it. I don't recall ever feeling so powerful or energetic, so I think that all the upper body work done during this Round has really paid off.

It's a great way to start the week. I'm really pushing like crazy to challenge myself.