Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Monday, August 24, 2009

It's BAAaack!

Sunday, August 23, 2009
Work 8p-8a--159#

I had lost my appetite while I was sick. I really didn't want any food at all then, but when I did eat, all I could stomach was fruit. I've NEVER been more than a day or two without an appetite, so this was a very new thing for me. Now, however, my appetite is back with a vengeance, and the last few nights have been ones during which I have felt compelled to do my bottomless pit impression. I am acutely aware that this must stop, and quickly.

WORKOUT:
4 4-rung ladders of black and purple band assisted pullups alternated with elevated perfect pushups.
During ladders 1 and 2, I did knee together squats with one-legged pulses at the bottom.
Ladder 3, I did 2 knee together squats per rung.
Ladder 4 I did 30 sec of plank per rung.

The difference between this workout and the one I did like it earlier in the week was remarkable. My pacing was much better; I felt stronger. It was just much better. I'm still way off of where I was, but I'm much better than I was just 5 days ago.

Thursday, August 20, 2009

I'll Ask What You Think

Thursday, August 20, 2009
Off--158.8#

Upon awakening this afternoon, I found my anterior and middle deltoids to be quite sore bilaterally. I had been having some occasional episodes of this a while back and, was at that time, attributing it to press form. In light of the soreness popping up after my pullup/pushup routine yesterday, I now know it's from that routine instead. AND I'm thinking it's from initiating the movement too much from the shoulder and not enough from the lats. What do you think?

TODAY'S WORKOUT:
20kg clean and pushpress x 2/2, 16kg clean and press x 3/3 (I actually had to do some frikkin' pushpresses with the 16, too, GRRR!)
Elevated perfect pushup x 4
20kg walking lunge x 10
Double 20kg Deadlift x 5
Plank x 30sec
Rest x 3 min.
x 4 rounds...only 4 rounds.
Tabata 16kg snatches.
Tabata 20kg swings (wussed out on set 4 of the swings and just rested.)

LAST time I did this workout, before getting sick, I did five rounds, at a much better pace, strict pressing the 20 at least once each round, and two several rounds. I was doing 6 pushups each round, 12 lunges, 7 deadlifts, and limiting rest to 2 min b/w rounds.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Back In the Saddle

Wednesday, August 19, 2009
off-158.5# (lots of salt yesterday)

I knew that I wasn't 100%, that my strength had waned, but my breathing was better, I'd not had fever in a week, and I tolerated work pretty well the last two nights. So I decided to test the waters and see just what I'd lost and what I'd retained while my body fought off infection. I decided to start with my bodyweight routine mostly to get loosened up and remind my body of movement and tension before reintroducing the 16kg and 20kg bells. Before I got sick, I was doing 3 5-rung assisted pullup ladders with the black and purple bands alternated with elevated perfect pushups. I went into things today playing a bit looser than I usually like to. Where before, my ladders were a quick clip of pullups, right to pushups, right to partial pistols and on to the next rung, taking a couple minutes of rest before the next ladder, today, I paced myself a little more slowly. Though I didn't take specific rest time between rungs, I just floated from one to the next as I felt comfortable then took the prescribed 2 minutes rest between ladders. I started the first ladder trying for 5 rungs, but couldn't get but half a rep on the last rep of the 5th rung, so I decided to back down to 4-rung ladders, hoping for at least 4 ladders, maybe five. Turns out the last reps on the last 2 ladders sucked, and honestly don't really even count. Instead of partial pistols, I took a cue from Franz Snideman's recent videos and did knee-together squats with one-legged pulses at the bottom during the first 2 ladders. For the 3rd, I did knee together squats without the pulses, and for the 4th, I did 30sec planks with each rung. Afterward, my muscles were jelly, and I'm still feeling the work. This puts me 4-6 weeks behind where I should be right now. I'd be lying through my teeth if I were to say I'm not horribly disappointed. I sincerely hope, though, that the strength will return more quickly than it was earned the first time around. As it is, I'll focus on the positive of having lost some weight and try to keep that off while regaining my strength.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Monday, August 17, 2009
First day back to work in a while--156#

I've still not resumed my workouts since being down with pneumonia, but on my way out the door this afternoon, going to work, I picked up the 20kg to see if I could still press it. It was nowhere near going up on the right, but went up on the left. I tried again this morning when I got home and neither side would make it go. The cool of the morning made a difference, though. Before work when I tried it, the muggy heat of the afternoon sucked my breath away and I was quite winded for a while afterward--even with just one press attempt on each side. This morning, breath wasn't so much of an issue. I think I'll begin to do some sort of workout, though I'm sure it'll be quite a step back from where I was, in a day or two. I'm antsy and anxious to be moving again.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Unexpected Setback

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Off-weight unknown.

I'm sorry I've been a bit sparse the last couple of weeks. The hubby and I got back from Orlando where we had a fantastic time and I immediately turned around and took a flight to Tennessee to see Mom and Dad. Things began to take a serious downturn there. I thought my feeling bad that first day home was just a result of a horrible day of traveling until I spiked a fever that night. The next week has been a blur of which I have only scattered recollection. I have never been so sick. I really thought I had N1H1 flu, having gotten it from some of the many, many people we were around in Orlando. I went to see a local doc who chalked my illness up to bronchitis but swabbed me for N1H1 just in case for CDC purposes (a test that takes a week to result). And Saturday night I came to Nashville to hang out in preparation for my flight home Sunday morning. Welll.....I didn't quite make it. Instead, I ended up in the emergency department where we found full infected lobes in 2 of the 5 lobes of my lungs. They admitted me for a couple of days and now I feel like a new woman. The doc recommended though, that I not start working out again for at least another week to give my lungs a chance to heal more. I can already tell that I am significantly weakened from the last week's ordeal and another week down will put me that much further behind. I'll take it easy, though, and try to learn from the recovery so that I can help others with similar situations in the future. Maybe, it'll be something we can all learn from.