Day 36 - Slowly but Surely

Today
We head out for sunny San Diego this evening so perhaps, if the weather cooperates and we can get the workouts in, then we will be both tan and buffed up this time next week. My understanding is that they are just a few blocks from the beach so I have grand plans to get up early, head to the beach and do my workouts there if at all possible. My cousin has graciously offered to take us out to the grocery store first thing so we can get what we need. Isn't she a sweetheart?


Looked at my Day 1 photo side by side with those from last night and I can definitely see a difference... Its subtle in some places but more obvious in others (the amazing vanishing love handles). I would say I need to figure out how to take more flattering pictures (maybe from a higher angle), but its probably just as well that I look like a half naked getaway driver for the mob at the moment to keep the pressure on to improve my body composition. Looking forward to ridding myself of the gut fat!


Workout
Standard morning lethargy but jumps were definitely off today. Also, return of the back! At least when I threw out my shoulder blade (still don't know how I did that), I only missed one back workout to be safe. Got right back on the saddle today and so far so good.

1. Jumprope: Again, meh. In fact, it seems like I've been slowly eroding over the past few days on my jumps. Only managed one group of 213 clean and most of the rest were between 100 and 150, weighted toward the previous. However, this morning, as opposed to previous it did feel like a little more of an energy than a skill issue. Ce la vie, keeping at it.
2. Pistol Squat: Yikes. Much easier on my dominant right leg than on my left, but I also found that when using the chair to balance I leaned or pushed on it far more than I probably should so I moved to using a pole in the middle of the room we use to workout in...
3. Floorjump: So, hopefully I understood this correctly from Patrick's video, but I guess we are supposed to be moving slowly forward when doing these. I had been doing vertical "jumps" (a generous term, hops are more like it). Weirdly, while still difficult, I felt like by applying forward motion to the moves it used my legs differently and wasn't nearly as burny as doing them in place.
4. Incline Pull-ups: Considering that there are three back exercises today, I stuck with the incline pull-ups just to ease my back... back into the workouts and hopefully lessen the chances of re-injury. Also, I did the lower number of reps as well in each set, but slow and clean until the last set where my motion was definitely restrained.
5. Lawnmower: Kim and I aren't certain we are doing these right. Played around with how perpendicular to the door we need to be and a full 90 degrees seems a little too much. I found that opening up a bit more and trying to do the motion more like a standing one armed row seemed like the way to go.
6. Pull-down: these felt like good form... difficult straight through the last three sets
7. Shoulder Press: As always quite difficult, even on the lightest band.
8. Bicycle: I figured out fairly quickly during the first set that I was doing these wrong. Sitting far too upright. Probably that strict Catholic upbringing. The high backed chair probably didn't help matters much either. Anyway, once I fixed my form, I felt a very strong burn... in my legs. Why is it all of these ab workouts seem to affect my legs the most, at least at the beginning?
9. Plank: Ah, breathing properly definitely helps. Last ten seconds of the latter two sets are still a bugger, but I kept reminding myself to breath evenly and, while still difficult, wasn't quite the struggle it had been.

And lastly, for Marcus (and anyone who hasn't seen Pumping Iron... very entertaining, but NOT safe for most non red-light district workplaces), the former Governator of the State of Cali-for-nee-uh: