Workout Recap - Week of June 21, 2020
I jumped into this new approach, and it seems I jumped a bit too hard, because I hurt something in my right leg. It doesn't feel serious, and talking over with my trainer friend didn't raise any major concerns on his part either, so I hopeful that some rest and personal rehab can overcome it. Alas, but it shall pass.
Monday
Type: To Form Failure
Horizontal sets with 30 second rest intervals:
Pistol Squats - 6, 4, 4 (each leg)
Short Bridges - 20, 20, 20
Narrow Reverse Lunges - 25, 25, 14 (each leg)
Hamstring Curls - 4, 4, 3
Side Planks - 30 sec, 30 sec, 30 sec (each side)
Bonus: 3 one-minute sets of aggressive squats (33, 20, 11)
Well, my new routine is about doing slow and measured reps until I either need a break or notice my form slip (well, or until hitting the suggested caps for the short bridges and side planks, but I digress), hence the lower number for the pistol squats compared to what I was doing previously (where I could take brief pauses to catch my breath so long as I wasn't unloading). As mentioned previously, my hips have quite some wonkiness to them, hence the remedial movements sprinkled together with stuff to actively challenge me.
Tuesday
Type: To Form Failure
Horizontal sets with 30 second rest intervals:
Pike Push Ups - 23, 16, 11 Horizontal Rows - 13, 6, 4
Push Ups - 7, 5, 4
Reverse Flies - 21, 20, 14
Lateral Raises (5 lbs weights) - 9, 8, 6
Bonus: 3 one-minute sets of pull ups (10, 8, 6)
The low numbers for the push ups are largely because I need to retrain to tuck my hips better than what I've been doing. This is by far the most frustrating part of my current endeavors, because it means changing something I've gotten used to doing for years. However, I also know that I'll be much better off for it (during the initial physical assessment, just some simple posture tweaks led to major immediate improvements in my force output), so I'm willing to stick with it. No learned behavior is unchangeable.
Thursday
Type: To Form Failure
Horizontal sets with 30 second rest intervals:
Pistol Squats - 3, 2, 2 (each leg)
Isometric Short Bridges - 20 sec, 19 sec, 13 sec
Long Reverse Lunges - 5, 5, 4 (each leg)
Hamstring Curl Negatives - 8, 7, 5
Star Planks - 10 sec, 10 sec, 10 sec (each side)
Bonus: 1 slow drinking bird (each side)
First of all, those pistol squat numbers? They're ugly. I was having a tough time keeping my balance for them (just couldn't focus my mind, for some reason), but that's no excuse for a poor performance. Otherwise, I adjusted the other movements either up or down in difficulty a bit and hit what seem to be good variations to start tracking development from.
Friday
Type: To Form Failure
Horizontal sets with 30 second rest intervals:
Tight Forearm Planks - 4 sec, 4 sec, 3 sec Hanging Lat Raises - 6, 5, 6
Elevated Plank - 30 sec, 30 sec, 30 sec
Reverse Flies - 15, 15, 14
Pike Push Ups - 12, 10, 9
Bonus: 2 slow pull ups
I was feeling overwhelmed with the number of things to keep in mind during my push ups last time, so I tried to simplify them with an emphasis on learning the feel of correct posture at different parts of the motion. The idea is that, as I gain comfort, I'll gradually add in more of the movement until I'm capable and confident about maintaining good form through the full range. Also, some remedial work on keeping my shoulders down and tight during pull ups (which has always been a point of focus for me, but apparently I wasn't as good at it as I'd thought I was).
Saturday
Type: To Form Failure
Horizontal sets with 30 second rest intervals:
Pistol Squats - 5, 1, - (each leg)
Isometric Short Bridges - 35 sec, 25 sec, 15 sec
Long Reverse Lunges - 5, 5, 5 (each leg)
Hamstring Curl Negatives - 7, 8, 6
Star Planks - 11 sec, 11 sec, 11 sec (each side)
Bonus: 2 slow drinking birds (each side)
Well, I hurt something in my right leg during those pistol squats, hence the quick end and missing set there. Curiously, I didn't feel pain during the other movements (just some discomfort during the lunges, at worst), so I felt safe keeping on with the rest of it. Still, I'll give the area some rest and avoid pushing it hard until I'm happy with my recovery. Despite how some people are acting, there is still a pandemic going on, so this remains a particularly bad time to suffer an injury that necessitates a hospital visit.
