Workout Recap - Week of June 2, 2019
I was due to do my monthly 100 burpee challenge this week, but I went too hard on my Wednesday workout and had some horrible DOMS in my triceps for the back-half of the week. It's mostly passed now, but I did a couple of test burpees and felt that it was still bad enough to impact my performance, so I'm pushing that challenge back to the coming Monday.
In spite of that, though, I was rather pleased with how my workouts went this week, particularly in contrast to last week's sandbagging effort.
Sunday
Type: Pass/Fail
Cross Plank - 1 set of 25 breath isometric holds, each side (pass)
T&A Pull Ups - 1 set of 8, each side (pass)
Pistol Squats, both hands behind me - 1 set of 8, each side (pass)
Bonus: 2 sets of 6 Superman push ups
This was basically a repeat of how I started my workouts last week. However, my mindset was completely different. Last week, it was just something I was forcing myself to do, and my reaction to it was hum-drum aloofness. This week, it was a primer to start off on the right foot and boost my confidence, and my reaction to it was being psyched up to attack what came next.
Tuesday
Type: Pass/Fail
Close Handstand Push Ups - 2 sets of 6 (pass)
Stand-to-stand Bridges, one wall touch on the way up - 2 sets of 8 (pass)
Skin-the-cats - 2 sets of 7 (pass)
Bonus: 2 sets of 3 two-way suicide jumps, 7 burpees
It had been more than a month since I did a two-set version of this workout. No wonder my endurance is developing so slowly. I should be more mindful of pushing for longer workouts.
Wednesday
Type: As Fast As Possible
5 sets of:
10 Burpees
15 Diamond Push Ups
20 Mountain Climbers
Time = 12:00
Bonus: none
Now, this is more like it. Yes, I ended up suffering for the rest of the week because of it, but I'm taking that as a sign that I needed a kick in the ass to get going again, because this isn't much different from what I've done in the past. I should be aiming to get back to a fitness level where something like this is a regular workout instead of a reach that derails me for the next few days.
Friday
Type: As Fast As Possible
12 minutes of 30 second intervals with 10 seconds rest of:
Pull Ups (total = 33)
Lunges (total = 27)
High Knees (total = 122)
Bridges (total = 35)
Mountain Climbers (total = 109)
Speed Rows (total = 193)
Bonus: 5 Hindu push ups
Continuing with the focus on building more endurance. Given that full extension and full flexion of my arms were both painful, I hadn't expected much going into this. The soreness faded after the first set, though (at least from my mind, if not from my body), so I was able to hold strong on the other two and come out with some solid totals. It ended up being my hip flexors that were crying the most by the end of this routine, which makes me glad for having thought of swapping in speed rows instead of tuck jumps.
Saturday
Type: Pass/Fail
Cross Plank - 1 set of 20 breath isometric holds, each side (pass)
Pull Ups - 1 set of 15 (pass)
Pistol Squats - 1 set of 12, each side (pass)
Bonus: 3 burpees
Finishing with this workout certainly seems hypocritical, but I dialed back the intensity on purpose to stimulate recovery instead of trying to build strength. My triceps were still in rough shape to start the day, so I didn't want to risk pushing them too hard and getting injured. Even with the relief of the DOMS that came from working through it, the bonus burpees were still a grind, so I'm sure it was the right decision to postpone my 100 burpee challenge for the next day (and my reaction to testing a few today makes me feel that it's the right choice to push it back one day further). That little delay is nothing to get broken up about in the greater scheme of things.
