Workout Recap - Week of May 10, 2020
In an effort to change things up a bit this week, I decided to focus on my breathing. Aside from its obvious applicability in a time of a respiratory/cardiovascular pandemic, focused breathing also helps to relieve stress. Thus, except for my weekend challenge, I did pass/fail workouts each day, with an increasing emphasis on isometric holds as I went along. When it came time to do my challenge today, I put my mental focus on breath control and minimizing delays during movement transitions, placing no conscious thought on pushing my pace.
A single week is too small a sample size to draw greater conclusions, but the early returns look promising. I'm not going to commit to doing this more often, but I can see potential value in repeating this experiment.
Sunday
Type: Pass/Fail
One-arm Pull Up Negatives - 2 sets of 4, each side (pass)
Fingertip Diamond Push Ups - 2 sets of 10 (pass)
3-limb Bridges - 2 sets of 2, each combination (pass)
Bonus: none
While I am getting more comfortable with these, I don't feel ready to start turning up the rep count on any of them just yet. Perhaps soon, though.
Tuesday
Type: Pass/Fail
3-limb Bridges - 2 sets of 2, each combination (pass)
Uneven Handstand Push Ups - 2 sets of 5, each side (pass)
Front Tuck Dead Hang - 2 sets of 10 breaths (pass)
Bonus: none
I mentioned before about exploring working towards front levers to push my anterior chain further, so I took a step along that path here. It was significantly more difficult than doing L-hangs, which was a good sign.
Wednesday
Type: Pass/Fail
One-arm Pull Up Negatives - 2 sets of 4, each side (pass)
Fingertip Diamond Push Ups - 2 sets of 10 (pass)
Isometric Plank - 2 sets of 40 breaths (pass)
Bonus: none
I'm definitely getting better at one-arm pull up negatives, in terms of offering resisting during the whole descent for each rep. The end of the motion is faster than the beginning, admittedly, but it's progress.
Friday
Type: Pass/Fail
3-limb Isometric Bridges - 2 sets of 15 breaths, each combination (pass)
Isometric Plank - 2 sets of 40 breaths (pass)
One-arm Dead Hangs - 2 sets of 10 breaths, each side (pass)
Bonus: 10 pull ups
The left-armed dead hang in the second set was a close call, but I managed to pull it off. Pressing up into the three-limb bridges instead of lifting a limb after bridging normally also stepped up the degree of difficulty. All in all, though, this left me feeling very relaxed and refreshed, despite the obvious fatigue. A fine routine.
Saturday
Type: As Fast As Possible
6 sets of:
6 Pull Ups
6 Burpees
6 Bridges
Time = 6:45
Bonus: 4 pull ups, 4 burpees, 4 bridges
I tied my personal record here, so that's a step forward from my last go. I think there were still a few breaths I could've shaved off during the fifth and sixth sets, but it's hard to find much fault in doing as well as I've ever done.
