Good luck

One of my friends recently turned 52 and requested a workout for her birthday.  She is a real nice lady and if you ever meet her, you will swear she looks 32.  (So don't call BS on me...feel free to call it on her though.)

I went through this one myself and believe me...turning 52 is tough.

Good Luck! (the workout)

1 Super Squat Combo
14 Pushups (or hold Plank for 14 seconds)
14 Leg Lifts
14 Thrusters with 25lb dumbells.  (man, I hate these m-f'ers)
     or sub in Push-Press or squats or whatever else that sucks for you.
14 Ring Rows.

Rinse and repeat for 4 rounds total.

My time is 14:42

Oh, and Miss Kaye turned in the fastest time.  I still believe she is lying about her age.

DarkArashi

Armageddon!!!

As promised...Armageddon.

This workout consists of three levels.  I recommend a quick warmup:  Jump rope, few pushups, squats and wrestlers.  DO NOT OVER DO IT!!!  That is what the workout is for.  Remember, you get light-headed, dizzy, or even feel the need to purge the Denny's Grand Slam breakfast you just ate...step back and regain your focus.  Passing out during workouts benefits you, nada.

Level One:  5 minute time limit
     1 minute...Sprints-14 yards round trip
     1 minute...Alternating Leg Lifts
     1 minute...Horse Stance with Horizontal punches
     1 minute...Plank Hold
     1 minute...Rolling Wrestlers

1 minute rest, water up and mop off.

Level Two:  10 Minute Amrap (As Many Rounds As Possible)
     100 Jump Ropes (I used a 2-lb rope)
       50 Total Bicycle Crunches
       10 Pushups (I used Paralettes to get full range)
         5 Pullups (You can sub in Ring Rows)
         1 Super Squat Combo (Why?  Well two is just silly)

1 minute rest, water up and hose off.

Level Three:  Round-down 10 to 1 reps  (or as we say in class, "HOLY CRAP!!!")
     Burpees
     Plank Running, total each leg
     Thrusters with 25-lb dumbbells (Sub in Kettlebell Swings, or standard squats.  Your pain)
     Bent-over Rows with 32-lb Kettlebell, each arm (Or appropriate weight for you)
     Lying Hip Extension

All done.  Have a friend roll you over to the couch or your car.

Any questions, no...good.  Embrace the carnage.

Da

I haz a sick!

I have the sniffles, I am sick
I am fuzzy headed, I am sick
I weigh 600 lbs, I am sick
I feel the cold inside, I am sick.

Yeah yeah yeah, I know.  Be man, tough out these little imbalances.

It is this attitude that weakens us.  Guess what? You are not soldiers, let alone warriors.  When I notice these imbalances showing up, I adjust my living patterns.

I start with eating patterns.  "What?!" around Christmas with all that eggnog and alcohol and cookies and what ever the fourth part of that food group is.  Yes!  Is it easy, NO!  Does it suck?  YES!  But what sucks worse is being out of balance and sick for a week.


Resting patterns are next.  This is really NOT easy for me.  3 to 4 hours of sleep and I am off and running.  When the imbalances show up, I am a restless sleeper.  Brain says to shut down and sleep.  Body is twitchy due to all the little viruses BITING ME!!!  So I take my moments to calm and rest.

Training patterns.  This is to easy so I'll skip to the next one.

Socializing patterns.   I am already antisocial, but still need to put in appearances for the Christmas card aspect.  But does anyone realize how many socials they have and how stressful they are.  You need to dress appropriately and wear the proper masks.  And keeping up with all the gossip? 

So pay attention and respect your body or...later, your body just might start disrespecting you.

Good luck,

Decepticon Workout

The workout:
This workout is five rounds long.

Each round is a 3 minute AMRAP (As Many Rounds As Possible) with one minute of rest in between.

Exercises:
        - 1 Super Squat Kick Combo
        - 5 Pushups
        -10 Wrestlers

A Super Squat Kick Combo is:
      1 squat and Knee strike up in front
      1 squat and Front Snap Kick in front
      1 squat and Side Thrust Kick to the side
      1 squat and jump up and spin 180
         degrees to face the otherside.
         Repeat on the other side.

For those doing the math a Super Squat Kick Combo is 8 squats.

Sound easy?  Great go for it.  When you count rounds only count full rounds.  If you make it to wrestlers and the time runs out.  Doesn't count.

Here is my score, now CRUSH IT!!!!  I did 4 sets per round.  20 rounds total.  I am sure you can do the math on this assignment.  Still a little rubbery in the limbs.  The workout is deceiving, but worth it.

Good luck,

Big or small?

We have been trying to one-up each other since the days we drug our knuckles as we chased after mammoths.

I recently eavesdropped on a conversation about who had it tougher with their training.  One person was big and demanded they had it the toughest trying to move their mass about.  Another one was small, and complained about not having strength and a vital constitution.  Last one, was a woman, and her complaint was not have the genetics of a man.

They argued hard about who was right...and the irony is, they all were.

The problem is they all use a yardstick to measure with.  When a man holds the yardstick up to a woman, he can say "See, you are a few inches short".  When a woman holds a yardstick up to a man, she can say "See, you are a few inches short."  No one likes to hear this, it hurts...down deep.

Yardsticks are really worthless for measuring.  Too long, too short, you are always off.  They are great for measuring things that are 36" long or a yard.  But measuring humans beings...that is just dumb.

I'd like to bend that yardstick into a Mobius' Loop.  There, that is more like it.  This is how to compare ourselves to each other.  Imagine looking down and seeing someone.  You can easily say, do this, do that.  Help them out right?  Then look up, you see that same person and wonder how the hell they got up there?

So how do I know about being big and massive or small and weak, or even being a woman?  Well, two out of three anyway.  When I went into wrestling, I was small and anemic.  Incredibly weak, and to boot, I wrestled people 5 to 6 weight classes above me when we trained.  I got beat, spanked and a whole multitude of humiliations. Later, when I wrestled someone my weight, the strength showed.  Some opponents could not even stand to continue some matches.  Being small means you simply need more heart and more patience to overcome your challenge.

How about being big?  Well, 207 is the largest I have been.  Not terribly fun, but when I put on both weight vests now, I weigh 295lbs.  Moving 300 is a monumental task.  I would work out and sometimes could not get off the floor.  Other times, I could feel my joints about to shear in half.  At the end, I crawl out of my vests and wait to die.  But all you simply need is more heart and more patience to overcome your challenge.

So, it really does not matter where you are on the Mobius Strip Yardstick.  You will always have the challenge of overcoming your weakness.  Your true obstacle is seeing weakness as an excuse.  No excuses, no mercy, no problemo.

latest workout

So here is the latest workout.  Takes your breath away

3 Rounds for time
75 Jump Rope (2lb jump rope)
12 Rowing Pushups (25lb dumbbells)
75 Jump Rope (2lb jump rope)
12 Step up (30" Box)
75 Jump Rope (2lb jump rope)
12 Knees to Elbow

EHN!!!!

A rowing pushup is doing a pushup with a dumbbell in either hand.  After pressing up, Pull the dumbbell up to the chest with right hand and then the left side.

My time was 19:59.

Getum Killas

There's a hole

I have been a grumblesaurus lately.  Last week, I found a hole in the bottom of my shoe.

I know I should practice what I preach and go buy a new pair, but this hole symbolizes how precarious my life has become.

Buying a new pair of shoes is a monumental task right now.  Three years ago, I would not have thought twice.

I should backtrack a bit.  Three years ago, I worked at a job I was good at, Designer/Construction Manager.  My life was set up and I did everything by the book.  I had a savings, 401K and a team I had trained to handle projects.  I use to enjoy year end, five-figure bonuses.  And then...we got laid off.  Me and my team.

That was no problem for me.  I had a savings, 401K and job offers from all over the states, Scotland, China and New Zealand.  Well, four weeks later, those job offers dried up as well.  No one needed my skill of shaving months off a construction project.


No problem, I had my savings and 401K.  I had enough side jobs to make 10% of what I use to.  I could wait it out.  A year later, my 401K was nearly extinct.  I cashed in the remaining 5% and used that to live on.  Six months later, the savings was draining fast.

There were a lot of people saying to just get any job.  This is not so easy anymore.  Just look at the math.  We have like 300 million people in the states.  Only 150 million capable of working (minus disabled, children and retired folk).  We have 15 million un-employed and like 25 million under-employed (Yeah, i am one of the them.)  Drafters make minimum wage and due to the law of supply and demand, employers are looking for drafters with an Architectural license or an Engineering License.  I can do the work, but no license.  Puts me out of the running for a minimum wage job.

So I got a job doing construction.  40 hours guaranteed is better than gambling with side jobs.  There was a lot of work in the beginning.  But then, there was a week off here and then there.  A week without pay is serious.  A year of working a real job and my savings was gone...except for the $24 dollars I have.

I currently work or am on call for 7 jobs.

Martial arts teacher...no pay
Sales support...some pay
Laser Survey Tech...occasional pay
IT Tech...some pay
Construction...occasional pay
Solar Energy designer...occasional pay
Massage Therapist...occasional pay

DAGGUM! So why haven't I bought a new pair of shoes yet?  When I make money, I have to hoard so when I don't make money, I can still pay bills.  Right now, I am averaging 12% of what I use to make.  Go ahead and figure your current budget at 12% of what you make.  Now factor in a new pair of shoes.

I have more ranting about the subject, typical stuff: like the millions of jobs we have sent to other countries, the millions that work here illegally, the haves and havenots, but this is simply the tip of the iceberg.  Did you know icebergs melt faster on the bottom then the top?   If you are concerned about our economy's slow melt, maybe you should look under the water and see what is really going on.  Or just check out the bottom of my shoe.  It is a poignant lesson on what is happening.


So when my old glasses fall apart, or my car sits without gas, I get grumbly, When I get grumbly, I fall back on my warrior ways.

I keep my sword oiled.
I keep my sword sharp.
I keep my sword ready.

DarkArashi