So that was the Single Hardest Exercise I've Ever Tried
SHEIET, boy I'm telling you.
So there I was, I did a Tabata set of pushups with my feet on a foam roller to introduce some instability. That was good. Much more challenging/tiring. Took a little break, typed an email to a teammate and did a tabata set of squats with a band around my knees and focusing on sitting back on the squat and keeping my heels on the ground because it really made them hard. That was good...
And then I started stretching for a while, which is what i usually do in the evenings for a little bit at least. And I reached down to touch my toes and then, for some reason I decided that it would be interesting to just slide my hands from here on the ground out to like a down-ward dog thing and see how that worked. So I did, and then I kept sliding my hands forward across the ground until I was just about parallel with the ground with my arms all the way up over my head. The whole time, I worked to keep just my fingertips on the ground as I slid (not always succeeding). And pushed my fingers in the ground as hard as i could while still sliding forward while still traveling forward and resisted them by pushing with my legs (trying to keep my heels on the ground and not always succeeding). I then tried to work from that position back up to where i started by doing the reverse, but by pulling against my own resistance again provided by my fingertips on the ground. Which sort of stretched my back out while making those muscles work. Weird and so difficult. Eventually, I did get back up.
Wow. I'm now still exhausted and I started this post about 90 minutes ago with a break somewhere back there to send an email or two that popped into my head and grab a quick bite to eat.
I have no idea what exercise that was or how i ended up doing it, but every single muscle i can think of is exhausted. SHEIET.
Apologies for any gross errors in this one-- it was typed in a rush.
Wednesday, March 19
SHEIET
Wednesday, January 2
reset
Time to start again.
Yeah, there's stuff I haven't done (recapping and looking back and all) but now is the time to move forward.
First official workout for Pike 2008 commenced yesterday.
Did 8x(20on/10off) of pushups. 25/20/11/9/8/7/8/8 Wow... I am a bit out of shape. Goal in 2008 is a Pike goal for 2007: 20+ on each group, for a total of 160 pushups in 160 seconds. I can do over that with squats, now time to match with pushups! Quick unchecked math puts me at 96 now with 64 to go!
Did a ton of stretching and foam roller stuff (though I've been doing both regularly since November). They work fantastically well in tandem. I've got so many little injuries which are finally getting workout out of my system. Love it.
Did some work on release points and footwork. It looks goofy as hell, but simply watching yourself throw/fake in a mirror does wonders. Doubly so if you imagine how you would mark yourself. If you have a video camera, that might be better, but I find the immediate feedback of the mirror to be rather helpful after having done the video thing in the past.
Did some other general strength stuff (pullups, lunges, abs/core, balance).
Ummm... about 25 total minutes on strength, 30 minutes of stretching/foamrollering and 15 minutes on release/footwork.
I gotta get out and throw more!
Friday, October 19
Rodrigo y Gabriela
Saw Rodrigo y Gabriela this evening at The Roseland.
Good show. Happy to have gone.
They can definitely rip it up on guitar. They brought some third person out at one point. He was overmatched.
Not sure I'd see them again even though they put on a great show. Just a lot of a guitar after a while. They did mention that a new album is coming in the nearish future. I'll definitely get that.
--
Workout Total:
Same as usual
Tuesday, October 16
Got Some Running In!
It's been a while, but I got about 20 minutes of sprinting/resting in today.
Also did wobble board stuff, leg raises and more. Had PT today as well. Everything is still feeling better. Stretched, massaged, iced. Feels pretty good. This is a positive turn!
--
Workout Total:
20 min track
20 min strength (x2)
10 min wobble (x2)
ice, stretch, massage.
Monday, October 15
Seeds
I knew the seeds would come out if I waited long enough.
That fits perfectly with my groups of:
1. Jam, Sockeye, Bravo
2. Furious, Zero
3. Condors, Boston, Ring, Goat
4. Rhino, Truckstop, Chain, Doublewide
5. Machine
6. Pike, VBB
But of course it does, because that is a broad brush with which to paint. That's why I did it.
Pool A should be fun with Goat and Ring together to settle their differences and determine who joins Jam with a loss in the power pool. VBB... Well, they could upset people, but it would be just that... an upset.
Pool B should be fun with the Rhino v Boston v Sockeye matchups. Pike will be faced with a strong Day 1 challenge in this pool.
Pool C has a fantastic 1v2 matchup with Bravo v 'Dors. I feel like anything could happen with Doublewide. Machine? Well, this is exactly where they belong based on their season.
Pool D with Furious, Zero, Truck Stop and Chain looks to be a killer. Chain as a 13 seed is just wild. Maybe they're not actually as good as everyone anticipated. Maybe they're planning their peak correctly. We'll also find out how far Truck Stop has come in a year's time with their new additions.
In short, there are no "easy" pools. Some interesting matchups in the initial pools, for sure. My rooting interests lie squarely with the Mid-Atlantic, of course. The rest of y'all are secondary. Only my region can break seed and earn strength bids for my region, y'know? I'm honestly very interested in how every pool shakes out, but, as I noted above, there are some that seem more interesting than others.
In other news, workouts are getting better. I'm feeling progressively more and more positive about The Show and the role I'll be able to play. Not perfect yet, but I've still got 10 days. NICE!
--
Workout Total:
30 minute interval (x2)
20 minute strength (x2)
ice, stretch, massage
Friday, October 12
Thanks
To everyone who:
1. Congratulated me/Pike on making Nationals.
2. Rooted/sheered for Pike to make it.
3. Advised me on quad stuff.
4. Wished me well with my injury.
5. Other nice stuff that I was rude enough not to thank people for.
I know I've forgotten to properly thank people (this is because I'm an ass) so I figured I would do so now.
In many ways, this weekend's practice is that last "real" practice. 2 days, all-out.
--
Workout Total:
30 min stretching
20 min interval
20 min strength
ice, massage
Thursday, October 11
PT Again
"I've got to admit it's getting better / A little better all the time."
Even the people at Physical Therapy agree that it is getting better faster than they anticipated. That's right, boys, I'm poised for a T.O. style Superbowl comeback. I will now clean up the involuntary vomit that came up due to T.O. killing the Iggles in the following season.
It ain't perfect yet... but I can now walk up/down stairs with no pain. Running and biking are still out for now, but I can feel it getting better. I'm still frustrated, but I can now redirect that frustration into activity and mold it into progress.
PT currently consists of ultrasound, electric stim, strength stuff, stability stuff, painful massage and icing. Aside from the ultrasound and stim, I can replicate almost all of this at home. That's pretty sweet. I'm basically doing all of this work 2-3x per day with icing/massage/stretching throughout. Then I'm doing the jump rope/upper body stuff outside of that. I'm anticipating that Friday will be a lighter day, but I simply don't have the time to wait for this to get better. I've got to do everything I can to *make* it get better. Fortunately, I pay close attention to my body, and as a result know my limits very well. I have not reached them yet.
I WILL make a difference at The Show!
--
Workout Total:
20 min interval
10 min strength (x2)
15 min wobble (x2)
ice, stretch, massage
Wednesday, October 10
Seedings
I don't understand all of the arguing about seeds.
There are blog entries, more blog entries, rsd arguments and more. But really, who cares? Chances are, your team will be seeding within 2 spots of where you honestly think you should be. If you're off by more than that, odds are you have an inflated sense of self.
In the end, as Parinella said somewhere, you can break the teams into (to use his term) "buckets." I'm assuming by this he meant that you can split the teams into groups in which, while the seeding my be debated, the teams in those groups belong pretty squarely below the groups ahead of them and above the groups below them. Outside of that? Weigh whatever you like, present your opinions to the TD or director or whomever does this best, and get over it. Once you get to Nationals, you'll have to beat good teams to win. That's the deal. Nothing more, nothing less. Quibbling about where you start is a waste of time and energy. You will start where you start. What you make of it is far more important.
All that being said, here are the seeding groups, as I perceive them (in no particular order within the groups):
1. Jam, Sockeye, Bravo
2. Furious, Zero
3. Condors, Boston, Ring, Goat
4. Rhino, Truckstop, Chain, Doublewide
5. Machine
6. Pike, VBB
All that being typed, Ring is probably the toughest one to place accurately. They could be considered ahead of Boston, but they could be behind Goat. I'm pretty sure they should be ahead of group 4 Rhino and below group 2 + the Condors... That's where my thought process breaks down.
On a different note, I've started rehabbing a bit differently. I can' really bike or run for an extended period, so I'm jumping rope like a fiend. For intervals, for speed, for endurance, for footwork. I figure if it is good enough for a fucking boxer or other fighter, it might serve me well enough to play ultimate when I don't have to worry about my brain being bashed in. I intersperse it with pushups/pullups and the like to mix it up. It is tough because most things that I do for training involve actually bending the my leg to 90 degrees or more. And that's exactly what causes pain/inflammation in my quad/itb/etc. I'm also doing a bunch of wobble board stuff, which is something I've always found useful, but now it is specifically directed at helping the current issues with my quad.
The biggest thing for my fitness right now is keeping my "cardio" up. That is, being able to do a lot of running/throwing/shuffling. I mean, so long as I maintain a certain level of explosiveness, I'll be fine in that department, but I simply cannot let my body be unprepared for the endurance portion of the Nationals experience. This is counter my general thoughts on training, but there I am rather limited right now as I try to maintain fitness in the face of needing to get my quad rest while still strengthening it and breaking up the scar tissue.
Crazy complex and intensely irritating. But, I'm starting to do as much as I can with the restrictions with which I have been saddled.
--
Workout Total:
20 min interval
15 min strength
15 min wobble board
massage, stretch, ice
Monday, October 8
More of the Same
Did all the usual work on the leg.
Got word from a few people on other teams that their teammates won't be making the trip to nationals.
THAT'S THE DUMBEST THING I'VE HEARD TODAY.
Unless you're a vet and just can't do it because of real life, you should get thyself to Nationals by hook or by crook. There is no reason not to go. It is a great experience and pretty much the best example of high-level ultimate in the world. The beach is awesome. It is Florida in October. There's a great time on Saturday night (unless you make finals-- in which case you have your own kind of great time). What's not to like? The younger you are, the more it will help push your game forward, or at least make you aware of where your game needs to go.
That's all.
--
Workout Total:
stretching, massaging, icing, strength
intervals
Saturday, October 6
Saturday Off?
Yeah. I know.
Practice got bumped to Sunday for some unknown reason, so I spent today reading. Sometimes outside, sometimes inside. Drank a bunch of really fresh coffee. I stretched a ton. I did a bunch of painful leg work (I can actually feel it getting better!), cooked, watched a little college football here and there and generally had a completely relaxing day for once. After last weekend, I kinda needed it.
Oh yeah, regional tournaments are happening all over the place. Madcow con Pallaver is 5-0 on day one. Goat v Boston in NE (PoNY got pasted by Boston, apparently). Chain v Doublewide in the S (Shocker!). AMP pounds on kids to get to the finals v someone they'll beat in the MA Mixed. Puppet predictably in the backdoor after losing to Tandem in NE Mixed. Ambush finished 2nd in their pool in NE women's. Godiva v Brute in the finals. Chewbacca Defense took their pool in the S'th.
It is tough for me watching all of this from afar because I'd much rather be where the action is. Specifically when there are fellow NYU (Puppet, Ambush, Godiva, Wicked [still undergrad], Chewbacca Defense, more?) or Pike (Sockeye, Condors, Machine, PoNY, Boston, AMP, more?) alums. I need the NCAA basketball setup where I can switch between games and live-lookins while watching the scores tick along the bottom. Seriously. That's pretty much the only way to get the full feeling of what Regionals is like. 3.5* divisions! 2 weekends! Early-round upsets! Shocking comebacks! Battling through the backdoor! Finals!! Games-to-Go!!!
One day we'll have the resources to tell the story. We don't just yet. Or perhaps we're just missing the person/people to do it?
*Masters: You will be granted "full division status" when you have more than 5 teams show up for regionals and your Nationals goes for the full 4. Otherwise, I got no problem with y'all.
--
Workout Total:
stretching, massaging, icing
strength work, upper body interval
Friday, October 5
Am I the Only One
Who thinks that when I watch 300 on DVD, the captions should be inked in like on a comic strip?
I'm pretty sure that's *exactly* what I wanted to watch the other day. I got 300 via Netflix and, as I often do with movies I watch at home, I watched it with captions so I could catch all of the words that I missed the first time. I'm strange like that. I like to read. This is like reading cliffnotes in a picturebook. Which was kinda the whole point of comic books in the first place.
The reader/watcher/listener could then choose their favorite way/s of experiencing the story. Visual? Textual? Aural? Mix-n-Match!
Anyway, I think this is an incredible idea and someone should do it.
In other news, the quad/itb really seemed to make a bit of a breakthrough today with some high-pressure foam roller-kinda work. Ouchy. But in a good way. I feel like an old person doing this stuff, but it works.
--
Workout total:
stretching/massage
strength workout
icing
Wednesday, October 3
Word on the Limb
Saw the doctor today.
I'm told that the problem with my leg is not exactly a pulled quad, but an accumulation of scar tissue from various knee surgeries and the like. I knew all of the scar tissue was there, but I didn't know it was having an adverse affect on me. Apparently, the musculature of my upper leg is pulled needlessly taught by the combination of being in shape and having tons of scar tissue. This causes friction and inflammation. At regionals, this manifested itself as a ridiculously sharp pain that shot from mid-quad to inner knee.
The plan is to rest, stretch, ice, self-massage and attend PT 3x per week. Ideally, I'll be good for practice next (not this) weekend and definitely all clear for Nationals. Sick. That massage thing is for real. I can feel the scar tissue and they showed me what I'm supposed to be doing with it. That shit ain't no joke. This is painful as hell, but I know that I'm doing the body good.
I worry about some of the other pains that are cropping up in close proximity to this primarily quad/itb thing, but the fact that I think they're connected is a good thing, I suppose. Now we just have to solve the problem.
My thoughts are in a couple of places right now (no particular order):
1. Thinking about people I want to qualify for Nationals this weekend. Friends, alums, et al. I'm not as obsessed with this as I was with my own Regionals, but I'm thinking about y'all.
2. Visualizing playing at Nationals.
3. Getting my body right.
4. Getting Pike ready for the show!
Yup. That's about it on this front.
--
Workout total:
icing, stretching, massaging
strength/interval
Tuesday, October 2
Getting my Mind Right
honestly, after we won the game-to-go, the rest of the season didn't mean shit to me.
I didn't really care if I got better, and I didn't give a through to how we'd play at Nationals.
Then I remembered. I remembered how much fun it is to play and win there. Everything is magnified. Everything is all-out. No crazy formats to endure. No more than 3 games per day. Flat fields! Nice weather even when it is windy.
Great teams and fantastic challenges await. True tests of the team will be ahead. Standing toe-to-toe with the best teams in the nation, as well as the world.
Then I started getting really excited again. I wanted to get my body right and battle with ym teammates at The Show. I wanted to lead my teammates again. I was no longer satisfied with getting there, because I remember the difference between getting there and achieving there. I love the latter so much more than the former...
Made sure to get some interval work in, even if I can't use my leg, I can do pushups and the like! 8x20sec on/10 sec off pushups twice through with 4 minutes core in between. I can also do single leg stuff for my good leg.
Seeing the doctor tomorrow.
--
workout total:
icing
stretching
painful self massage
low-level strength (leg lifts, ankle raises and the like)
Interval Workout
Wednesday, September 19
Very Light Again
Today was light as well.
Just stretching, low amounts of pushups, pullups, squats and the like.
I've been working a lot on my mental preparation recently. I mean, visualization and that sort of stuff is regular part of preparation for me (I'd say 5-10 minutes every day) but the problem now is that I see ultimate in my sleep. I picture plays whenever I close my eyes. The danger is becoming worried or letting the weight of expectations and expected challenges weigh me down. But there's a trick to it.
The emotional connection I have to the outcomes for Pike 07 has to be embraced, not fretted over. The excitement I feel becomes second nature rather than something foreign. Each time the nervousness or butterflies or goosebumps come, I imagine the state that I want to be in and push myself in that direction. Calm and confident, but still energized by participating in something I enjoy. The work that I've put in over the year (most of it chronicled in this very blog) gives me something on which to base my confidence. I know that I've put in the work, and now the challenge is not a matter of Failure or Success, but a matter of self-revelation.
I have laid a challenge at my own feet. That is, all pressures foist upon me are my own. This allows me to change the way I view and accept or reject those pressures. In the wise words of Steely Dan, "It's your game the rules / Are your own win or lose." So, when that tightness or excitement wells up within me, instead of fearing it, I take it as a sign that I am just anticipating the challenges that lay ahead. That tightness is just energy getting ready to be unleashed. I take hold of that emotional response and own it. Drink it in. Enjoy it as a moment to be experienced as a part of life.
Just like that sinking feeling after a loss, tightness before/during a game is not something to be denied. You've got to reach in and feel that moment. Experience it deeply and fully for a time (I like 7 deep breaths, for some reason-- I think I may have read it somewhere) and then separate your experience of the moment from your judgment of the moment. They are not the same. The first is a part of life and you must accept it, the second is a second-level choice (whether currently conscious or unconscious) and you can alter that response.
I take those seven deep, slow breaths and experience the feeling fully. Let it wash over me. Then, step back and acknowledge my judgment of the experience. Center myself and proceed. The more I do this, the closer to second nature it becomes. The ability to move on after something painful is a key skill for being successful in both sports and life. It is becoming an automatic process that doesn't' fully require the space of seven breaths. Just as I work to become physically stronger and more skilled as a player, I work to sharpen my focus and remove all distractions so that I can play on instinct without hesitation.
At least that's the way it works for me.
--
Workout total:
10 minutes strength work
20 minutes stretching
Wednesday, September 12
Wednesday Strength
Strength Exercises are toning down a bit, but not too much.
This was a good one to focus on explosion with ample recovery and minor general fatigue:
3x
Bent Over Ankle Bounce (like the plyo version of a RDL), 20xeach leg
10 slow, full ROM pushups
1:30 rest
4x
Depth Jump, 24 inch box (aka my bed), 3x
5 pullups
2:00 rest
4x
On-box Jumps with variable 3-step lead-ins, 4x
10 clap pushups
2:00 rest
15 divebombers
1 min rest
1 set of Tabata burpees
Good, highly explosive leg work with a focus on *really* hitting my peak on each jump. Good slightly tiring upper body work in between each set. Solid whole-body finisher at the end.
After that, got in some focused visualization corrections after this past weekend's pulls. Feeling very good about that. Just picturing that perfect pull and dialing in is useful
Finally, got in about an hour of throwing in the lights in a parking lot in Jersey City. Seems appropriate somehow, considering the origins of this ridiculous sport. If you've never been to the birthplace of ultimate, stop by some time and throw. Just 'cause.
--
Workout Total:
lower body explosive work
upper body general strength
20 min stretching
1 hr throwing
Thursday, August 23
Workout/Film
Well, that's pretty much it.
Workout was explosive lower body stuff and a mix of explosive/interval upper body stuff. Finished it up with Tabata (8x20sec on/10sec off) Burpees. I did a better job counting this time. The first two sets were 8 each, the next 4 were 6 each and the last two were about 5.5. I find that the quality of my burpees is significantly increased if I have something to jump up and touch. It forces me to explode out of each jump instead of doing it half-heartedly.
Speaking of burpees, here's some crazy stuff. I've tried a handful of those out, and they pretty much rock. It illustrates that you don't need to own or purchase anything to workout like a champ. Just think of something reasonably full-body/ROM and do it. If it is too easy, change it. Keep altering and training. You can make a workout of anything. We all have enough time and space to take care of ourselves. Why then, are there things like this or this? Well, laziness and poor eating habits start it off, but the biggest thing, in my opinion, is that people are looking for excuses. Gyms, diet foods and the like simply provide easy excuses for us. Things like "I can't afford a gym" or "I won't workout because I ate my 100 calories of wheatthins instead of half a box" or whatever.
We're missing the bigger picture. A "good life" (I know that's a subjective term) involves more than just one aspect of health. Mental, physical, emotional, intellectual, et al are all components of enjoying life. We tend to be so focused on the little details or distracted by the marketing of the American Dream that we lose sight of the ability to craft our lives into whatever we want them to be.
I know I'm getting soap-boxy here, and I'm on a tangent, but, to say it again, this is my blog. I'll say what I want. (I do love making that point) I feel that there are so many paths to live a rewarding life and if you completely neglect any of them, you'll be left out in the cold wondering why everyone else smiles so much more than you.
End Psuedo-Soapbox-Rant.
--
Workout Total:
30 min lower body explosive
15 minute upper/full body mix
Monday, August 20
The Weekend was Hard on Me
Not to get too into the details...
...because then I'll just be a whiny little bitch, but the combination of both traveling and playing a ton this weekend was pretty rough. It left me with some sore muscles for once (my arm was worn out after Saturday and then pushed to about a limit on Sunday) and a couple of occasionally recurring injuries to my feet. Nothing a couple of days without cleats won't fix. Although, I'll be sure to get my boots back on for a field session or two before Chesapeake this weekend.
Speaking of which, the schedule is apparently up. I can't really quibble with our bottom-of-the-pool seeding, and even if I could, who cares? I just want good non-intra-team competition! Clapham should be a good way to warm up. We last played at Boston back in 04 or 05. Nice to play good teams that you don't have an established relationship with. Without preconceptions of "how a game will play out" you are often afforded a glimpse into the actual attitude/talent level of your team. We always seems to have close games with Goat, no matter who is having an up or down year. Similar with BAT . At least as far as I can remember (exception: Last year at this very tournament). Finishing straight through with Ring in round 4 should be fun. I haven't seen them all year and don't know what to expect from them in 07.
Last year at Chesapeake, we got pasted to the tune of 0-4 on the first day and 2-1 on the second. I expect much better things this year. I don't know exactly how or why, just that my confidence level with Pike v.2.007 is much higher than Pike v.2.006 at this point in the season. That makes me happy. Same with my level of confidence in my own abilities as a player and comfort with the role that I play on my team.
That last thing is very interesting to me. As I've progressed in ultimate (Roughly: Best freshman -> 3 years of college captaining w/o knowing anything -> bench on Pike -> starting cutter on O w/ Pike -> starter handler on D w/ Pike -> ???) has been very informative in terms of learning my own preferences and tendencies on the field and as a teammate. I've been increasingly happy at each stop thus far. I wonder what can top this role? What's next? That's a thought for November, not for August. I will return to it.
For now, I'll note that I'm still really sore this afternoon and will be sure to take a brisk walk after work to stretch the muscles out and then do a short/moderate intensity/low-impact bodyweight workout. Just to keep the muscles active and get through full ranges of motion of major joints. Yoga will be included.
I will then follow it up with Madden!
--
Planned Workout:
20 min walk around the city (rain be damned!)
20 min stretching/yoga
10-15 min bodyweight strength workout
Thursday, August 16
Rest it up.
After the, uh, festivities after the final Regular Season Summer League Game, I decided to rest today.
My feet were also in big-pain territory as the whole "not wearing cleats for two weeks" thing caught up to me a bit. Doing workouts when your feet hurt are terrible. I did get a handful of core work in though, just to leave my total-rest day before a weekend of ultimate (Finals and Pike practice) until Friday.
Of other note, I've been reading Everything and More, by David Foster Wallace. It's about the history of how math deals with the notion of infinity. It gets into calculus and set theory and all of that, which I'm getting a kick out of. His writing style is still unique and somewhat abrasive. Sometimes he gets too much in his own way and obscures the matter at hand. I still enjoy it though. I think I'll be looking into more books that cover this sort of thing. Books that, while they don't shy away from technical explanations, also weave them into actual words and text that give context/history.
So, if anyone can recommend some good "History of Math" type books (specifically for a guy who got through Calc 2 and is willing to write out examples on scrap paper so that I understand what's going on), let me know!
--
Workout total:
12 minutes core/upper body work
Tuesday, August 14
OWWWWwwww
I got up this morning and fell out of bed.
As it turns out, my hip is far more painful than I expected. I can feel exactly where the swelling is, and while I can definitely move on it, it came as a total shock when it hurt this morning. Time to start massaging that pain right out... I'm not looking forward to it, but I know i'll be fine, which is good.
Apparently, Heng-Scheng had a similar experience when he tried to get out of bed this morning. He's decided to see a doctor about it though as his injury seems a bit more severe. He told me not to feel bad about it, which was very considerate, but still... I don't want to injure anyone in summer league, let alone a club teammate.
This afternoon, I did a "track" workout, which was more of a field workout. It consisted of 8 sets of suicides of the 0-15-0-25-0-40-0-40 variety with 1min 45 sec rest between each. Times were: 33, 35, 33, 33, 37, 33, 32, 35. The 37 involved me choosing not to kill a kid as his father kicked a soccer ball into my path. Fucker. It's one thing if the kid does it, but the dad should know better. It was tough to do it in sneakers instead of cleats, but I didn't have cleats with me, so it had to do.
I followed that up with a 4x20 pushups with a rest of how long it took me to do the previous set (19, 19, 22, 30) and then 1min rest followed by 4x10 clap pushups with the same style rest (15, 15, 15, 25).
Good workout, overall. The hip held up, but I know I'll be a bit sore tomorrow.
--
Workout total:
30 min track
5 minute upper body strength
Tuesday, July 10
Dipped into the Vault Today...
And chilled out to the sounds of the 7/10/99 Phish show in Camden, NJ.
I like to go back and listen to stuff from the archives on the corresponding dates. It just seems so appropriate. Back then, I thought this show stunk. I have since been proven wrong by relistening. It aged like a fine wine. Trey was wearing a Mia Hamm jersey, if I remember correctly. That was weird but cool.
Did a plyo/upper body max strength workout today:
3x
50 Richochet Jumps
5 Pushups
45 sec throwing
2x
10 Side-Side Box Jump
5 Divebombers
45 sec throwing
2x
8 On Box Jump
5 Pike Pushups
45 sec throwing
3x
5 per leg Low Squat Jump into Jump Lunge
6 one-hand pushups (x3 each arm)
45 sec throwing
3x
5 High Skips per leg
60 sec throwing
4x
30 yard accelerations
60 sec throwing
3x
8 Consecutive Broad Jumps
10 pushups
45 seconds throwing
Except that we didn't throw because no one remembered a disc. Goddamn ultimate players. I pushed through and felt explosive with the leg work, but I'm sure I will pay a hefty energy bill tomorrow. The upper body stuff was a great addition and I'll be doing more workouts that break down into both components after a bit of lower-body plyo-focused workouts for a bit there. Time to push the body harder again...
I'm feeling great in terms of the arc of my physical preparation for the 07 campaign. I know where I've been and I know where I'm going in terms of plyo/track/strength work. I'm very excited and I know that I'm nowhere near my peak as of yet. This is on its way to top the 06 season in which I was in the best shape of my life. That is, with the possible exception of junior year in high school and playing/practicing 3 different sports year round and in a extremely competitive marching band. Stop laughing. Really. Well, actually, laugh away. If you didn't do it or see it, you'll never understand. In any case, I'm definitely well on my way to the best ultimate frisbee shape/peak of my life. I can't wait.
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Workout Total:
30 min explosive lower body/max upper body