OK, I was going to fib a little about my plans for the first day of two-a-days today, as I hit the home stretch in preparations for this coming June's National Senior Games in Albuquerque.
Instead of getting up at 5 a.m. to hit the first workout of the day, I re-set my alarm and woke up just early enough to have a little coffee, then get ready for work. I did make it to the gym this afternoon and had a really good workout, and I plan to do some before-bed yoga in a little while, so I was going to report that I did the yoga this morning, so as to successfully fulfill the goal I mentioned in yesterday's blog. I couldn't do it. I'm such an honest person, it's ridiculous sometimes. But since I AM doing the yoga later, and I DID make it to the gym earlier, I suppose we can still count it as a successful two-a-day. As always, I tried to set a new PR (personal record) of some kind during my gym workout. This time, I definitely set one PR, in the leg press, and I'm pretty sure another one, in the incline dumbbell bench press. In the leg press, I did five sets with eight reps at 180 pounds, eight reps at 230, six reps at 270, six reps at 360, and four reps at 450. That last set was heavy. If you're moving heavy weights like that, make sure you pay attention to your form, execute the movement smoothly, and don't hold your breath -- it can spike your blood pressure, for one thing, and for me, holding my breath during the concentric portion of the lift (the pushing part) creates a lot of cranial pressure/sinus pressure. It hurts! I finished with a set of four reps at 55 pounds for the dumbbell inclines. Back in the day, I was maxing out with 65-pound dumbbells for the regular bench press, so that ain't half bad. I also did some step-ups holding dumbbells (15 and 20 pounders); did some barbell dead-lifts; some dumbbell shoulder presses and small barbell shoulder presses; some machine bench press; some rear delt raises; and a couple sets of side laterals. A pretty decent workout. The only thing I didn't get to today was my low-bar hip raises. I was going to do those after I got home from the gym, but I figured my shoulders and arms would be too wasted to try to hold myself upside down on the bars. So I'll save that one for morning. I will get up this time. Hold me to it. I'll report back tomorrow. What did you do today?
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Today was a day off from any kind of training.
Instead, I went and helped out at a junior high and high school pole vault meet down in Austin. I worked one side of the standards, adjusting the position of the arms that hold the crossbar for the various jumpers. Basically, some vaulters want the crossbar standards set closer to the take-off area, and some further away. It's a matter of personal preference, jumping style, and can vary not only from day to day, but jump to jump, depending on a number of different factors. Tomorrow, though, starts the big push toward the National Senior Games in Albuquerque, in the middle of June. I'll drag myself out of bed -- no matter what -- at 5 a.m. to ramp up the workout schedule. Mornings, I'll go outside and do the low-bar drill, probably jump some rope, and do some speed drills. Maybe sometimes, stay in the house and do some new yoga for athletes, with this new DVD I got last week. Afternoons, I'll either hit the gym or go to vault practice. Combine all that with working on my new book about this whole pole vaulting and fitness journey, getting my personal training business off the ground, recording videos and learning to edit them for an upcoming YouTube channel, and continuing my freelance writing career, and I'm going to be a little busy. But it's great. I'm preparing for Career no. 4, and it promises to be the best career yet. After high school, I enjoyed being an electrical draftsman, but I was young and dumb, and didn't appreciate or take advantage of an opportunity that could have had me retired and financially independent a long time ago. My newspaper career was highly enjoyable, and my teaching career has led me to everything else that is going on right now. So, all in all, no major complaints.\ I'd better go now and set that alarm clock. 5 a.m. Oh, boy ... A beautiful pre-Spring day here in central Texas.
Arguably the nicest season of the year in the Lone Star state doesn't officially arrive until next week, but, hey, close enough. Beautiful, clear blue sky, a little chill in the air as fall tries hard to hang on, but all in all, a great day for ... a workout. I started out today with my low-bar routine, which was a little discouraging today. I thought I was making progress with this difficult core-strengthening exercise, but this morning, I wasn't so sure. Granted, I do the reps wearing 5-pound ankle weights, which makes it extra tough, but still ... For the last rep, I took off the weights, and was able to control the movement pretty well, instead of my feet slamming down onto the ground. Then, it was off to the gym, where I got in a nice hour-long workout -- treadmill to warm up, then a combination of free weights and machines. One thing I typically try to do at the gym is set a new PR (personal record) in something each visit. Today, it was leg press. I did five sets, ending with four reps for 430 pounds. Not bad for an old(er) guy. What did you do today? The first time I walked the famed Camino de Santiago pilgrimage in northern Spain, I learned quite a bit about walking.
At first, it was brutal -- walking all day long carrying a too-heavy backpack, up and down hills, over uneven, sometimes unstable surfaces. After about a week, I managed to cultivate a massive blister on the ball of my left foot. Every time my foot made contact with the ground, the pain was excruciating, and when I stopped to rest, it throbbed and pulsated like something out of a cartoon. Eventually, the blister healed and life was good again. The thing I learned from that is to always take a break after two or three hours of walking, remove shoes and socks, sit for a half-hour or so, and let everything dry out, before continuing. Also, not to ignore so-called "hot spots," when any sort of irritation develops with the feet. Something else I learned about walking -- it may seem obvious, but never occurred to me before the Camino -- is that the body is designed for walking. It enjoys movement. Still another thing is that when you walk for any distance, or length of time, you develop a natural rhythm, and if you simply let your mind go, not think about it, your body will go on "cruise control." Your body will move at its natural pace, and your mind is then free to think about other things. Or think about nothing. To just observe and absorb the sights and sounds all around you. Sort of a walking meditation. That brings us to today's message -- walking. Walking is a wonderful exercise program, and a great way to get in shape -- physical and mentally. According to various guidelines, older folks like us should participate in some mild form of exercise at least 2.5 hours a week. That computes to 150 minutes, and if you walk for 30 minutes at a time, that's five days of walking -- a good amount for starters. Many moons ago, I ran into an acquaintance who obviously had lot a significant amount of weight. I asked Karen what she had been doing. "Just walking," she said, explaining that she went home after work and walked for one hour every day. That's it. For beginners, an hour a day may be too much to handle right at first. Maybe start with 20 minutes. Get yourself a sturdy pair of comfortable shoes and some good quality socks -- try and avoid all-cotton socks, which can cause blisters -- and find a good, safe route. If nothing else, walk around the block a few times. If there's a park or designated walking trail nearby, even better. Start out slowly and gradually increase your pace. Take it easy at first. Let your body fall into a natural rhythm. One foot in front of the other. Let your arms swing naturally. If you run out of breath, you're pushing too hard, Back it off a little. As your endurance increases and your legs get stronger, you can add 5 or 10 minutes at a time to your workout. Eventually, work your way up to an hour of walking at a brisk pace, enough to make yourself breath hard, but not become completely out of breath. Any time you exercise, you should be able to carry on a conversation while you're doing it. When you really get going, try holding a pair of lightweight dumbbells as you walk, or strap on some ankle weights. I've walked with a weighted vest, and that is an excellent workout. So there you go. Take a walk. You can do it. Maybe there really is something to the whole Daylight Savings time hangover thing.
Today, I felt much better. Hit the gym and managed a good nearly hour-long workout. I did nine minutes on the treadmill to get the ol' blood moving, then went through a sort of circuit routine with free weights, machines, and some plyometrics. I did incline dumbbell bench press (maxed out with 55-pound dumbbells; a new record, I think), followed by some seated cable rows, and dumbbell step-ups. I threw in some cable crossovers, some box jumps with ankle weights, rear delt raises and some side laterals. Not a brutal workout, but decent. Tomorrow, I'll head out early for the two-hour drive to New Braunfels for jumping practice with the gang -- my fellow Masters vaulters, Cyndy, Jane, Jorge, and Frank. I used to jump with these guys and gals every Sunday, but since I've switched to a training facility much closer to home, I don't get to see them very often. It'll be a lot of fun, as always. Also, it'll give me a chance to jump at some bars. Where I jump now, I mix myself in with various size groups of teenage vaulters, and because of sheer numbers, I think, they don't use crossbars very often at practice -- partly, at least, to save time. But with the Texas Senior Games coming up next month, I need to see what I am clearing these days. I've only jumped at a bar twice, I think, since the National Pole Vault Summit in January. I cleared a personal-record 7-9 there, and I'm hoping for 8-6 at the next meet, although I'll be happy with 8-feet and another PR. Here's a little at-home workout I came across today from menshealth.com. It's a circuit program, designed to be executed with little or not rest in between sets. Repeat each exercise three times. - Plank (hold for one minute) - Mountain climbers (30 reps) - Alternating reverse lunges (20 reps) - Plank up downs (10 reps) - Squat jumps (5 reps) Give it a try, and let me know how it goes. You can do it ... I think this whole daylights savings time hangover may be dissipating.
Today, I gave it a little rest. The only thing I did as far as training was my low-bar, hanging, reverse-crunch exercise for vaulting. Supposedly, this thing starts to kick in after about a month, and I'm finally starting to see some real results. On my first three reps, I was able to lower myself from a hanging upside down in a ball position, dropping my hips toward the garage floor slowly, slowly, slowly until my feet touch the ground. Especially on the first two repetitions, I could almost stop the movement and hold my feet off the floor.. When I first started -- three weeks ago, I think it was -- all I could do was grab the bars, flip myself upside down, hang on, start lowering my hips, and bam! Feet slam onto the floor. After a couple weeks, I started getting a little more strength and control. Now, it won't be long before I can lower myself, hold it, and then work on raising my hips back up, until I'm upside down again -- a complete rotation. When I can complete 5-6 reps of that, then I'll extend my left leg in a pole vault-type take-off position, and complete the same movement. When I can do that, then it will be time to move to a high bar for the same routine. Even though that's the only exercise I did today, it was pretty exciting. I know I'll jump another PR (personal record) at the Texas Senior Games next month, and I think I can get at least 8-6 at Nationals in June. Remember, folks, consistency is the key. Consistency. What did you do today? Saw a Facebook post this morning from someone asking whether Daylight Savings Time was affecting others -- making them tired and out of sorts and such.
Aha! So that's what is going on with me the past two days ... Unusually tired and sore from my pole vault workout on Sunday, and just not with it physically or mentally today at the gym. I was starting to get a little concerned, but then I saw that post and it dawned on me -- maybe that's it. A really good vaulting practice, and a decent workout today, but, man, just kind of in a fog. It's only an hour's difference in the time, but maybe that produces some sort of great cosmic shift in biorhythms or something. I don't know. Anyway, I did make it to the gym today. Started out with some incline bench press, alternating sets with bench step-ups holding a pair of dumbbells. Got up to my normal last set of 145 pounds on the incline bench, but only one rep, and it was a struggle. I followed with some seated dumbbell shoulder presses, lat pull-downs, and single-leg machine presses, which I'd never tried before. After about 45 minutes total, I was done. My friend, Bubba, always says to work out with whatever body shows up that day, and don't worry about it. He quotes Bo Jackson or somebody saying, "Some days, 100 pounds feels like 50, and some days 50 pounds feels like 100." Today, 50 pounds definitely felt like a hundred. But I showed up. That's what counts, and that is often the hardest part of the workout. Just showing up. What did you do today? A great pole vault practice today, with just myself and two teenage studs working out under the watchful eye of a terrific coach and friend, Jack Chapman.
I must have hit it pretty hard, from around noon to 1:30, because not long after I got home, cleaned up, and had some lunch, I was getting sore and tired. Nevertheless, I dragged my low-bar apparatus out of the garage into the driveway and knocked out six reps of my core strengthening move -- or tried to, anyway. By then, I didn't have much left in the tank, and the reps weren't real good ones, but like everything else, consistency is the key. Gotta get in those reps. Later, sitting on the couch watching Wisconsin play Ohio State in basketball, I ordered a new yoga DVD designed for athletes, to increase strength and flexibility. Those are the two things I need to improve my runway speed in vaulting, which along with lack of core strength, is one of the things holding me back some in the pole vault. But I'm getting there ... Stretching and flexibility are two things that always seem to take a back-burner, but both are so important -- for athletes, and for everybody else, too. Here's a few stretching exercises you can do at home. Before you get started, take about five minutes to warm up, get the ol' blood pumping with some push-ups, leg swings, walking lunges -- any kind of bodyweight exercise to loosen up a little. - Standing quadriceps stretch: this one is good for flexibility and balance; stand straight and tall, bend one knee, reach behind you with the opposite hand and grab hole of your foot (hold onto a chair or wall or something for balance, if you need to); pull your foot up to your rear end, chest out, and hold for 30-40 seconds; repeat with the other side. - Calf stretch: stand facing a wall, reach out and places your hands flat against the wall, step back with both feet, keeping them flat on the ground and legs straight, until you feel a stretch in your calves; hold for 30 seconds; step forward with one leg, leaving the other leg back, and stretch that side individually; repeat with the opposite leg. - Back stretch: lay on the floor, both legs out straight; bend one knee up toward your chest, grab it with both hands and pull further toward your chest; feel the stretch in your hamstrings and lower back; switch legs and do the same. Those are just a few basic stretching and flexibility exercises pretty much anyone can perform in the comfort of your own home, or at the gym. Try it. You can do it ... I When I was in Reno in January for the National Pole Vault Summit, rubbing elbows -- literally at times -- with some of the greatest pole vaulters in the world, I met a guy who told me I should incorporate yoga into my training workouts to help increase my flexibility.
One of my issues as a new Masters vaulter is runway speed. When I take off running toward the pit, it feels like I'm getting up to a decent speed. But when I see video of one of my jumps, all I see is a really slow, old guy lumbering along -- almost unrecognizable, at times. When I was in my late 30s, my oldest daughter, who was then 17 years old, said something about being able to beat me in a foot race. I took her up on the challenge, and I beat her pretty easily. About a month ago, I was running some weighted sleds before vaulting practice, and the teenagers were warming up, doing sprints and other things to get loose. I challenged one of the boys to a race, even though he was at least four decades younger and probably 60 pounds lighter. Not to mention I was wearing a harness attached to a metal sled with a 25-pound barbell weight on the top of it. He said, sure, walked back to the end of an adjacent runway, about 10 meters or so behind me, and said, "Whenever you're ready." I took off and held the lead momentarily -- about two seconds -- before the kid just blew by me like a shot out of a cannon. He turned around at the finish, held his forefinger and thumb up about a half-inch apart, smiled, and said, "Got ya by this much." Apparently, the two biggest factors in improving my speed are strength and flexibility. I do plyometrics to work on those fast-twitch muscles, things like leg press and squats to work on strength, and run weighted sleds for overall conditioning. Flexibility is something I still tend to forget about. So this morning, I plugged in an old yoga DVD and did a 15-minute workout in the living room. It was really good, and I plan to start doing that more often. I've got to get faster, so I can grip higher on the pole, hit the box with more force, and generate more energy at the take-off. If you've never tried yoga, it's pretty cool stuff. You can do it ... As I continue preparing for the Texas Senior Games in April and the National Senior Games in June, my training workouts are split between the gym, home, and the pole vault barn.
Twice a week, I go to my friend Jack Chapman's vaulting facility and work out for an hour-and-a-half, two hours; three times a week, I lift weights and do plyometrics at a local gym, and a couple of times a week, I have a little workout at home. Maybe sounds like a lot, but it's plenty manageable. Admittedly, sometimes I don't exactly feel like doing it, but I do it anyway. For those who don't have the luxury of a gym membership, there are plenty of ways to get a great workout at the house. Try this for starters: - 20 bodyweight squats - 10 push ups - 20 lunges (10 for each leg) - 10 dumbbell rows (instead of dumbbells, fill up a gallon milk jug or similar container with water) - 15-second plank - 20 sit-ups (slide your feet under the edge of the couch for an anchor) - 30 jumping jacks - 10 floor bridges Do this routine three times a week for a couple weeks, then do two sets of each exercise. Couple weeks later, make it three sets. Come back tomorrow, and I'll provide some more details. Gotta go now ... You can do it. |
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