Late Afternoon

Bench Press 10, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
Loads: 105, 175, 205, 210, 210, 210

Knees to Elbows 4 X 10

Wood Chop 4 X 10 (each side)
Load: 80#
*Supersets

3 X Max Pullups
12, 10, 10

Shoulder Press 3 X 5
Load: 100#
*Supersets

Workout comments: Have been wearing this support boot now for almost 5 weeks to help heal a bone lesion I suffered back in February. It seems to be working well. I still feel a little soreness every now and then, but nothing like I used to be feeling. When it's time to put it on in the morning, sometimes I forget which foot it goes on. That should be a good sign.

Having it on for the past 5 weeks means I haven't been able to run or do anything short of swim and upper body exercises. No I don't look like Popeye. But I have learned the value of stretching and recovery, since I've been focusing on this part of my body for the past several weeks. After the first week I was sure my shoulders would never loosen up. But a few sessions a week with a foam roller will work wonders.

If the doctor says I can gradually progress back into running, I'm going to shoot for an ultra next summer or fall. We'll see about where.

Swimming Intervals

Late afternoon

WU: 200y with paddles, 50y without. Practicing length and lowering stroke count.

Workout: 2 X 8:00 min with 3 min rest.

Completed just over 400y during each interval. Breathing became very labored during the end portions of these intervals, mostly due to the increased use of flip turns probably. Still, there is something to be said about increasing aerodynamics and reducing drag, as opposed to increasing propulsion through the water. Tiredness brings out a tendency to "speed" things" up, whether by increasing stroke rate or increasing power. Focusing on slicing through the water takes much more dedication.

Bench Press, Weighted Situps, Weighted Pullups, Push Press, Swimming Intervals

Early afternoon

Bench Press 4 X 5
Load: 195#

Weighted Incline Situps 4 X 15
Load: 25

Weighted Pullups 4 X 5
Load: 35

Push Presses 4 X 10
Load: 115#

Swimming Intervals

AMRAP in 20 minutes:

Swim 50 yards, rest 30 seconds.

15 total rounds

Workout comments: All the intervals were between 47 and 52 seconds. Not sure if this is decent pacing since the distance is so short. I tried to focus on decreasing stroke count over the length of the pool.

Swim

Early afternoon

Metabolic Arm Progression (3 Rounds)

Weighted Situps
Load: 25

3 Rounds for Time:
15 Pullups
15 Shoulder Presses (100#)

5:50

Late afternoon

Tempo Swim

1000 yards for time

20:48

Workoout comments: Swallowing water in the middle of a flip turn feels great.

Bench Press, Wood Chop, Chinups, Shoulder Press

Early Afternoon

Bench Press 5 X 5
Load: 205#

Wood Chop (10 each side)
Load: 90? (Malvern)
*Supersets

Weighted Strict Chinups 4 X 5
Load: 30

Dumbbell Shoulder Press 4 X 5
Load: 100
*Supersets

Workout comments: I've been trying this new warmup involving a drill I saw on the CF website. It was designed by Kelly Starrett, and involves taking two lacrosse balls taped together, and placing under the vertebrae while lying on the floor. Take both hands and place them above your head, gently oscillating up and down. Gradually move the lacrosse balls up your back, one vertebrate at a time. The whole drill should take only two minutes.

I was hestitant to try this, but was surprised to find today that my shoulder pain has significantly subsided during warmups on the bench press, and in particular, during the DB shoulder presses. This could be due to my increase in swimming the past week, which could be stretching out my shouders and lats. Or it could have been the decreased weight I used during the shoulder presses. Either way, I'm happy with the results.

Both the bench press and the shoulder press felt easier than usual. It's a different world when you don't have to worry about nagging aches and pains.

Swimming

I got in a short swim at Drexel before class. I can only manage 30-40 minutes in the pool, since the swim team practices until 6 and I have class at 7. This seems like the perfect amount of time for a Crossfit Endurance workout. On the schedule for today was

4 X 5 min with 3 minutes of rest between intervals.

I modified this to:

3 X 250m with 2 minutes rest

I know it takes me roughly 1 minute to swim 50m at an easy pace, plus distance is much easier to calculate when you can't monitor your watch.

I warmed up with 5 easy laps with hand paddles. Then on to the workout:

4:21, 4:21, 4:13

This was probably the first time I attempted some strenuous swimming workout in a few years and I didn't really know what to expect. I'm pretty satisfied that I have some sort of baseline finally to work with.

Swimming

Early afternoon

I renewed my membership at my local gym this weekend. Surprising how cheap the monthly membership was even with the looming winter. Usually this is when most gyms jack up their prices just in time for the droves of people trying to escape the Northeast cold. I can't believe how quickly the weather has changed in Philadelphia. In the span of two weeks (filled mostly with rain) we have experienced a 20 degree drop in temperature. We saw regular temperatures in the low to mid 90s, followed by temperatures now in the high 60s. What happened to the four seasons? The temperature last night I think dropped below 50, since the thermometer on my car read 51 this morning.

I squeezed in about 30 minutes of swimming this afternoon. I stopped caring about counting the number of laps, since it makes time really drag by. I figure I can do my best at estimating the distance based on how fast (or slow) I know I am swimming.