Workout Recap - Week of January 5, 2020
A new month and a new year means it's once again time to do 100 burpees as fast as I can. Aside from that, the new year has gotten off to a quiet yet satisfying start. I've been enjoying a deep dive into the content of The Wandering DMs YouTube channel. I've been taking care of some old cats. I've been getting stuff together to get back into playing some RPGs. All in all, a fine foundation to build from.
Sunday
Type: As Fast As Possible
7 sets of:
7 Pull Ups
7 Burpees
Time = 7:15
Bonus: 1 pull up, 1 burpee, 7 chin ups
Ah, just missed out on hitting my personal record for this challenge. After having done hundreds if not thousands of burpees, I've gotten comfortable enough with the motion that it feels slow to me, even when I'm pushing myself to do them as quickly as I can. I wonder if it might be worthwhile to shake them up in some way to get me out of that comfort zone.
Tuesday
Type: Pass/Fail
Close Handstand Push Ups - 2 sets of 11 (pass)
3-limb Bridges - 2 sets of 11 breath isometric hold, each combination (pass)
L-Hang - 2 sets of 25 breath isometric hold (pass)
Bonus: 2 sets of 3 two-way suicide jumps
3-limb bridging is a strange experience, because I can feel the majority of my weight being held by the crossed arm and leg, and yet that third point of contact is still critical for maintaining balance (for now). Perhaps that's stating the obvious, and this is hardly my first experience with 3-limb bridges, but it's a surprise how different it feels when 3-limb plank or one-arm push ups never felt unnatural to me even with my feet together.
Thursday
Type: As Fast As Possible
6 sets of:
5 Pull Ups
5 Burpees
10 Side Lunges
Time = 6:00
Bonus: 30 breath isometric dead hang
Same workout as last Wednesday, with an extra set on top. My average time per set improved notably (from 66 seconds/set to 60 seconds/set), which is always something that I'm happy to see.
Friday
Type: Pass/Fail
One-arm Handstands - 1 set of 10 breath isometric hold (pass)
3-limb Bridges - 1 set of 13 breath isometric hold, each combination (pass)
L-Hang - 1 set of 35 breath isometric hold (pass)
Bonus: 1 one-arm bridge (each side)
A simple meditative isometric routine to round out the week, but the real item of note here is the bonus. Admittedly, it was a struggle to get up on my left arm (going up on my right arm was hard, too, but I felt like I was in control despite the difficulty), but I think this is a major sign of progress towards my goal of fully free stand-to-stand bridges. There's still more to be done; I tried and failed to go up with just one leg, for instance; but my approach to fitness is an endless journey where the joy is found in appreciating the milestones along the way.
Saturday
Type: As Fast As Possible
100 Burpees
Time = 11:30
Bonus: 30 breath isometric dead hang
Sadly, this was a weak way to finish things off. I was doing well to stay on pace for a 10-minute finish up until about rep seventy-six, but then those final twenty-four killed me (10:00 at rep eighty-eight, and then obviously another 1:30 taken for the last twelve). I'd approached it by breaking the full thing into four mini-sets of thirteen followed by four mini-sets of twelve, but that turned out to be just a little bit too ambitious. Alas, but I'll grow stronger from the experience.
