Getting fit with SwordsMaster

[SwordsMaster]

The Total War Workout: I have a set of handweights that I keep in the same room as the computer. Whenever I play Total War I usually have several agents moving about the map. Whenever I hit end turn I use the weights while I'm waiting instead of sitting there constantly clicking. It works great. Monday I was a little sore after playing for a while on Sunday.

Nice one

[Strike For The South]

I would like to point out DOMS is not necceraly and indacator of a good workout.

[SwordsMaster]

Well, well, and so holidays end.

Time to start a new training season. I have to reconsider my goals this time, as this summer I went from 95kg in April to the current measly 79. I attribute the loss to lack of weightlifting, excess of surfing, and lack of good sleep and good eating over the last couple of months.

But hey, that's what summer is for, right? Now, though, it is the time to take up that responsibility and get ourselves back into shape (so we can do it all over again next summer). So no more steaks with fries and bechamel, witha fried egg on top and some mayo. And we're hitting the gym again.

So I've spent a couple of days thinking about a good workout to put some muscle back on.

I'll show you my plan for the week:

Mon, Wed, Sat:

Warmup: 25 min on the bike (interval setting, resistance between 7-12) and 10 min on the rower (at least 2000m)

Then:
25 pullups (weighted if possible), usually in 2-3 sets
50 deadlifts (4-5 sets)
50 benchpress (5 sets)
30 squats (usually 50, but since I've spent the first 35 min working out the legs, I can drop the warmup sets)
50 one arm clean&press (that is 50 with each arm, usually in 5 sets)
25 pullups (usually at this stage, i drop the weight)

This whole thing takes about 2 hours, if you superset the exercises properly. Since 2 consecutive exercises don't work the same muscles, you can superset the first 3 together, then do squats, and then superset the last 2.

Tues, Thurs:

30 min swimming, usually in 10 min "sprints". I'm a strong swimmer, but can't stick to proper technique for longer...

And I'm picking up some recipes too, but that's material for the next installment. Maybe. If you're good.

In the Soviet army they had a pullup bar at the door of the cantina. So before lunch or dinner they lined up the men, and made them do 10 pullups. Whoever couldn't do them would keep trying until the time for the meal ran out. If they still couldn't do them, they didn't eat.

This is first-hand info by the way, so don't take it as a joke. I'm thinking of putting one up in my kitchen...

Well, i'll let you "digest" this.

[Beirut]

In the Soviet army they had a pullup bar at the door of the cantina. So before lunch or dinner they lined up the men, and made them do 10 pullups. Whoever couldn't do them would keep trying until the time for the meal ran out. If they still couldn't do them, they didn't eat.

This is first-hand info by the way, so don't take it as a joke. I'm thinking of putting one up in my kitchen...

Well, i'll let you "digest" this.

Back about fourteen or fifteen years ago, me and my buddy across spent the summer cutting trees on his property and selling the firewood, we did 100 - 200 cords each season. Near where we bucked up the wood there was a tree with a good sized branch coming straight out about seven feet off the ground. A couple of times a week we'd use it for pull ups (just to test each other or people who came by) and anyone who couldn't do ten in a row was deemed "unable to pleasure a woman".

I don't know if that's worse than missing lunch or not.

[Geoffrey S]

Summer's over indeed. This time, need to get up from 62 kg to nearer the 70. First two weeks I'll be running on mondays, lifting weights on tuesdays and fridays (don't know the regime yet), one hour on the rower on thursday, and in the meantime learning the skiff and 2-. After that, a month of endurance training in twos and skiffs, with the occasional move to the 4+; trainings will build up to seven a week. And finally, after the first few trial races, the definite boatplaces will be announced, and it's on to more endurance training in the winter (8-9 a week). Fun!

[SwordsMaster]

Summer's over indeed. This time, need to get up from 62 kg to nearer the 70. First two weeks I'll be running on Mondays, lifting weights on Tuesdays and Fridays (don't know the regime yet), one hour on the rower on thursday, and in the meantime learning the skiff and 2-. After that, a month of endurance training in twos and skiffs, with the occasional move to the 4+; trainings will build up to seven a week. And finally, after the first few trial races, the definite boatplaces will be announced, and it's on to more endurance training in the winter (8-9 a week). Fun!

Sounds fun. Remember though that to put on weight, the most important thing is to eat right.

and anyone who couldn't do ten in a row was deemed "unable to pleasure a woman".

I don't know if that's worse than missing lunch or not.

Nice. I had a thing in that fashion once. I was working packing trucks in a flour factory. Note that each truck can hold about 400 bags of flour, and each bag weights 50kg.

So we were unpacking 150 bags at one of the delivery places, which was on the beach, so we got the odd beach muscle man walking past. when we were some 50 bags into it, one of these muscle men and his girlfriend stopped to look, and were there for a few trips. So eventually i invited him to grab a bag and give us a hand since he was pointing at us and making some comment to the girl. He looked at us, at the bags, at the bakery, and then refused. The girlfriend looked appalled.

[SwordsMaster]

This is a bit of a review. I did that routine yesterday. And I concluded that it is too much for the legs. My hamstrings are so tight and sore today I can barely sit....

So. I decided to disinclude the squats and include 50 windshield wipers instead to hit the abs a bit harder, they weren't really included in my first version...

Have fun!