Workout wise: kind of a rough one yesterday, at least in terms of lifting. I did PT, then tried to do deadlifts:
10 x 134, 10 x 184, then 234 (low), 2, 3, 3, and these were hard. I tried to hip hinge and get the glutes into it and this felt like 280!
But: my glues (NOT back) were sore the next day. The walk went ok though:
I did the long way to get to the course, then 2 lower loops and back the shorter way for 5.27 in 1:14:48 (14:12 with the Dog Park hill done twice).
This morning, stretch, walk only (PT too) W. Peoria course (5.15) in 1:12:28 (14:04)
Yesterday: baseball with Ms Vickie! The Chiefs were down 2-0 but rallied after the Dayton starting pitcher was pulled (due to pitch count); the winning run came off of a ground out to first in the 8’th..
I felt great during and immediately after my workout (192 lb, so about 195 before) but after the shower it was “what in the hell did I do?”
PT, then pull ups: 4 sets of 5 singles (chins, pulls), 2 sets of 5 (chins, pulls), 1 set of 10 alternating chins, pulls (singles), 2 sets of 5 (chins, pulls)
downstairs: Swiss bar bench: 10 x 134, then 5 x 145, 5 x 145, 6 x 145 (rest!), 3 sets of 10 x 134 shrugs, 3 sets of 10 x 94 high incline (full reps), 3 sets of 10 curls.
Then 5 sets of 20 push-ups (flat); then the walk.
It was really 4.1 and my watch got 58:04; it was 58:03 yesterday. I am consistent; now I need to be faster. BUT, the walk was as pain-free as my walks ever are; almost no hint, at any time, that anything was wrong. I like that.
Stayed up late due to the Judy Garland tribute symphony last night. Got started late: weights before lunch, walk after.
PT, then deadlifts trying to focus on the hip hinge (forgot about the shoulders)
10 x 134, 10 x 184 low
5 x 234 low (ok..sort of; felt the glutes working)
4 inch: 5 x 270 (awful, especially reps 1 and 5)
5 x 270 (better)
5 x 270 much better…closest to being right.
8 inch: 3 x 300 then gave up. Just not into it.
BUT the legs were quivering which was the goal.
Later did my 4.1 mile walk though..I wandered a bit due to a loose puppy (think a driver was looking for him), cars in intersections. Plus winds were 20 mph; nevertheless this was within 30 seconds of normal, even with a 15 minute first mile. Some very mild ache in the final mile, which took me 13:30.
This gives me 124.9 miles for April, which is the second most for a month in the past 12 months (December I got 137.3) and mind you, I missed a day to being sick. No, this is nothing compared to my training days but a lot better than the 32 miles I got last May. I have finally met the 3 miles a day average (over the past 12 months) that I was looking for when I started PT back in the summer of 2021. What a long 2 years it has been.
Thursday night: I bit on that last date and “puff”..out came the black smoke of date mold. I spit out what I could but it was too late; that evening was to be almost sleepless, with frequent trips to urinate, and chills. Miserable night; had I had a gun, I would have shot myself. The body aches were terrible; it was as if I had run a marathon and played a football game the day before.
Still, on Friday, I did my PT exercises and yes, taught my classes, competently I think. Still I was dead tired and slept through all of my free time.
So comes Saturday: 100 percent better so I decided to do a scaled down workout.
PT (full), walk 5 miles (ok, really 5.3; not the 5.5 the pedometer gave me but more than the 5.2 my watch gave me; I modified the course by swinging wide on the turn to Parkside. It was damp, windy (what else?) and there is high traffic in West Peoria during that time slot. So while my whole walk was slow (first mile split appeared to be accurate) I was really slow in the first 2 miles.
But I almost felt normal at the end; there was some dull ache in the final 1.2-1.3 miles, but nothing like the days of old. This is what it was last year. So, I’ll shut up and take it. Still..did I have to start off THAT slowly? I guess that was prudent; I was not sure as to what I could do, and I picked it up as I got more confident.
Then I did the weights and pull ups (no push ups, no curls); I took it easy.
Pull ups: 10 singles (alternating pull ups, chins), 6 sets of 5 (one set pull ups, one set of chins), then 2 sets of 5 singles, 5 chins.
I had to rest quite a bit between sets.
Downstairs: bench press (Swiss bar)
10 x 134, 5 x 145, 4 x 145 (could NOT lock out rep 5), 5 x 145 (lots of rest) (no wraps)
High incline: 10 x 88, 10 x 94, 10 x 94 (even with the bad elbow wrap job)
And THAT was enough for me, today.
Looking at it, it sure looks like I did nothing. But I really felt awful the day before, so there is that.
One one hand, today’s workout went ok. Weight: 193 after the walk (about 196 before). On the other hand, some moronic driver almost hit me. I was on a residential street and crossed the street to avoid oncoming traffic, just as some jerk PASSED on said street, almost running me over. I cursed loud enough for those in the yard to hear me.
push ups; 3 sets of 30 slant, one set of 10 chest tap push ups, 10 more chest taps.
Downstairs: 3 sets of 10 x 134 Swiss bar (lost of rest) with
Deadlifts: 10 x 134, 10 x 184 (low), 10 x 250 4 inch; trying to get into the “hip hinge” pattern. It will take a while but I can feel the glutes activate.
Then the walk (about 2 minutes slower than last time, but that’s ok; finished ok.
I made last night’s Chiefs game and this afternoon’s game; then I went to dinner with Barbara and Lynn (who bailed on the game due to it being cold)
I’ll say more about the games at the end of the post.
Today: PT, deadlifts, walk.
The walk: some slight discomfort around mile 3, but it did not last. It was effectively painless. Course: 1 mile to the start of Bradley Park, 2 loops (one Cornstalk, one lower) which meant I had 4 hills altogether; 2 dog park, 1 upper Bradley, 1 Cornstalk. This is perhaps my best post-COVID walk.
And speaking of COVID and sports: if you have a big competition coming up in the next 3-4 months, avoiding COVID might be as important, if not MORE important, to your preparation. We are in the final week of April and I am finally back to where I was mid January. Finally. Of course, in my case, you have age and the fact that I have a chronic back condition.
Deadlifts: 10 x 134, 10 x 184, then: 5 x 234 low (not hard but my form was disappointing), 3 sets of 5 x 265 (4 inch), 5 x 300 (8 inch). My last two sets were the best. Then the walk.
They took out the pitcher for a reliever in the 8’th when it was 3-2. Then 6 runs or so later, relief pitcher no 2..the disastrous 8’th saw the Chiefs use 3 pitchers total. It ended 11-4.
I got in a workout and then made the Bradley vs Illinois State baseball game. Ok, it was never much of a contest: 9-0 Redbirds. Yes, it snowed a few times, this was the heaviest period.
Today’s workout: full PT, then weights (no push ups today)
pull ups/chins: 3 sets of 10 singles, alternating chins and pull ups. Then 2 sets of 5 pull ups, 2 sets of 5 chin ups.
Swiss bar bench: 10 x 134, 3 sets of 6 x 145 (no wraps)
3 sets of 10 x 134 shrugs
2 sets of 10 x 94 high incline, 1 set of 6 x 105
curls: 3 sets of 10.
Then I did my 4.1 mile hill walk (dog park and lower Bradley hill) 55:11 for 13:28 mpm pace, with a 12:37 final mile. Not swift, but pain free (30’s, windy) and probably my best post COVID walk. I do have to watch for the left knee: behind the knee, upper calf, kind of the way my right one acted prior to the meniscus tear.
This morning: PT, deadlifts, wet, windy 4 mile walk.
The deadlifts: 10 x 134, 10 x 184, 10 x 224 low (slightly better hip hinge)
10 x 275 4 inch. Legs were rubber after this. Started to try 310 on the 8 inch but felt the lumbar trying to take over from the get go and so bailed, right away. No pain, etc.
The walk: wet..saw fire engines at the Bradley arena, fallen branches, etc. Did a different course. Note: some very, very mild discomfort that mostly went away when I focused.
Life of an old goat 