Wednesday, September 06, 2006

The Zone

These are the days I live for and the reason I train. They come much fewer and farther between these days. In fact, I can't remember having one recently; the workouts are more a grind than anything.Of course, trying to train but NOT push too hard is oxymoronic, especially the moron part. It's like having one foot on the gas and the other on the brake.

And of course it comes on the heel of a shitty day. Good workouts never seem to come when I am ready for them, rested and focused and with expectations of strength power and good wind.They arrive on their own damn schedule when they damn well feel like it and if you dont like it so what? Nice to know they still care enough to come visit even once in awhile.

Been obsessing with powerlifting again and how I miss being that strong. Hell, I miss TRAINING to be that strong. Wanting to. Of course I am in the least amount of pain I have been in fifteen years and moving better everyday. Of course I feel the urge to fuck with it. Surviving the two hand swings didnt help and thinking about heavy squats always gets me going. THis will have to do as I like walking much better than even squatting.

And I think I might even taught my left leg how to walk correctly again! This could be the best physical news I've had in eons. Onto the workout:

KBHigh Pulls:
36x10/10/5/5
36x5/5/5/5
44x5/5/3/3
53x5/5

62x5/5/3/3x10 sets 160 reps, 9920 pounds
53x10/10/5/5
x9/9/4/4
x8/8/3/3
x7/7/3/3
x6/6/3/3=116reps,6148 pounds

276 reps 16,068 pounds!! Nice workload and good total number.


These just felt great. smooth and steady although not explosive until after the fifth set. The main thing was my energy was great; hardly sat down between sets at all and only took less than a minute between sets, which is rare for me. I had only counted on doing the 160 heavy ones but I had plenty left. No fan on today either and it was fine.LOTS of sweat.

Snatch holds
44 x 45 secs each arm 4 rounds.

These were very solid. ON right arm I sqqueezed the crap out of my right pec as I held the weight overhead. The more I released the pec tendon the more my shoulder dropped into the socket. This is a great technique.

Farmers walks with (2) 36's
200 foot laps 5 times 1000 feet.

This was a great time to practice the new gait technqiue and it held up great!started light on purpose with the 36's so as not to overload a new technque too much.1000 feet was it today as form was starting to begin to go. time to stop. BUT it worked very very well and its only been a few days. This is what I've been waiting for. Its been working its way down my leg for years and its time to go all the way out! I learn slowly but I dont quit and eventually figure it out.
My leg was so twisted, no wonder it hurt so much and wouldnt bend!

Heavy Bag
4 songs.

this feels really good to do, really natural. I am not getting tired at all and it feels like it is loosening up my arms.

RIFGA
ten minutes on the floor.Flexibility is really coming along and things are staying stretched out more. I have more energy at the finish than I did coming in. that hasnt happened in awhile. was in the gym for 1.5 hours and it was great. wasnt dying to get finished.


bw 161.6
bf 10.6

datsit staying loose.

3 comments:

Ken Black said...

Nice work Rif! Looking forward to tommorow!

Tom Furman said...

As you isolate motor patterns to become more efficient, you also paint yourself into a mental corner. Hence Westside, Sheyko, etc. Variety that throws you off but is progressive and proven effective. Adding light sled work and or Clubs will force new adaptation and open up the areas of your brain that will minimize the grind of the ETK ROP. I can't stick with the Snatch or Press ladders. These are narrowly defined fitness parameters. My stuff is mixed with Cotter's and DeLugia's and more recently Martone's. View Bill Fox's ADHD Training system. He has the lumps and bumps we have and is staying fit and lean and achieving goals without beating his head against the wall. Find the Swipe numbers for the 15lbers on Crossfit, or Sonnen's numbers of Swipes with the 25's. That is cardio, strength, and mental focus. It is also the exact opposite pressing and snatching. Just my humble opinion.

Mark Reifkind said...

you gotta remember tom I am really just working back from barely being able to walk at all a year and a half ago and being really out of balance upper to lower body and front to back.
re establishing basic physical balance and full joint ROM( knee and shoulder flexion in particular) take precedence now over all else.

even though the snatch or swings might seem like narrow fitness parameter to you compared to just the powerlifts and the accesories I've done for the last 15 years and the limitations I had they are extremely expansive to me.

I also am used to training for very specific competition and I love getting into Deep Skill.To really explore the depths of specific movements and the incredible mental and emotional states they can induce is very interesting to me.

what beats my head against the wall is having to "exercise" without having a specific competition or goal to acheive-completely foreign to me.

I plan on using clubbells( in fact Ken black is coming over tomoroow with some!) and I dragged sleds for many years with WSB and will get back to them eventually.

My shoulders are only now (probably) able to use even the lightest of clubbells. My number one rule is first: regain ROM. then go from their. Its taken this long and its still not 100%..


thanks for the interest and the advice; I will consider it sincerely.

rif

155 x 3 x 5, 160 x 3 x 5, 20 kg swings 5 x 8/8, floor pushups 40, 35

 Thought about going back to 5x5 for a hot second then my left shoulder  reminded me why I stopped doing them before. It doesn't seem to...