Total Physique Online

11:20 AM EST

Did a full cycle of 10 and 1’s - this time I began with squats for ten and pushups for 1 rep - with only 1 minute rest between the two half-cycles at the half way mark. This had me sweating big time this time around.

Hard to say how my cardiovascular fitness level is responding. My lungs felt good. Very little congestion, and I felt like I was getting the oxygen I needed. I had a good breathing rhythm going and my entire body felt equally stressed, top to bottom. I have to say that I liked starting out with squats first, followed by the pushup set.

In terms of meds, I took one hit off my inhaler before the workout. I think I should have waited 5-10 minutes after using the inhaler though, rather than immediately jumping right into the workout.

I feel terrific. Though, I must confess, when I do this program I am SUCKING wind brother! I wish there was a way around this. Oxygen deprivation is no fun, and this program seems to throw me into O2 Dep by the halfway mark. I suppose having COPD (CF) makes this sort of program more challenging, but I still want to issue a word of caution for all you peeps: Be careful! Take nothing for granted. Whether you have a chronic illness or you don’t, I have to assume that this program is challenging and will separate the boys from the men so to speak. As I type this, my muscles are shaking a bit, so be warned. Also, talk to your doctor to make sure you can do this if you are not use to HIT circuit type training. That said, I think this program is a GREAT overall conditioner.

One other thing I might add is that as a result of doing squats first my frontal thighs began burning big time while I was doing my pushups! This was especially true by the time I completed my second set of squats for 9 reps.

I think that by starting out with squats the thighs get pre-exhausted. Naturally, the frontal thighs are used extensively to support the body for pushups, so I guess it should come as no surprise that they begin to burn faster than the chest, shoulders and triceps. My thighs got a mean pump!

I may go to the gym, or if not I will use the cables.

TIP: For folks with COPD, respect your limitations. Do not push yourself so hard that you pass out. Also, remove any lose or baggy shirts or sweatshirts for this program. Trust me, when you are performing the pushups the last thing you want is a loose shirt or baggy sweatshirt bunching up around your face and nose, thereby obstructing the intake of fresh air to the lungs. With good air flow, your Oxygen deprivation will be minimized.

So, make sure you work out in an air conditioned environment.

Did a full cycle of 10 and 1’s - pushups and squats - with only 5 minutes rest between the two half-cycles.

No inhaler used today during the workout.

I may go to the gym, or if not I will use the cables.

This is my first post in a long while. Anyone who reads this web site with any regularity knows of the trials and tribulations of my homeless situation, not to mention my hospitalization with a partially blocked small bowel which nearly killed me. Yup. Life has put yours truly through the ringer and back again. So, the site has suffered in so far as I have not had the metal (or mental) energy to add new content to it.
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Forearms and Chest

• Dumbbell Wrist Curls: 60 lbs x 4, 5, 3
• Reverse Thick Bar Wrist Curls: 30 lbs x 6, 6, 8, 5 (followed by a 5 sets of static Holds)
• Pushups (100 total reps, minute or less rest between sets): 35, 46, 54, 64, 74, 84, 96, 98, 100
• Dips: 15, 14, 10, 6 (min rest between sets)

Observations:

It’s amazing how much heavy weight will take out of you. The wrist curls with 60 lbs dumbbells was just so damn intense, even though the numbers of reps was few. The reverse thick bar training was really brutal, yet it was only 30 lbs. Whenever you toss in the element of a 2 inch diameter bar and you raise the bar of intensity 10 fold no matter what exercise you are performing.
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OK, this workout took place on a Sunday, and I am just now (Monday) posting it. I had a busy day and the training took place outside, away from my Apple LT. So, I made the promise to enter the workout today, Monday morning.

Combat Cables

• One-Leg Donkey Calf Raises: 9cd x 10, 10, 15sec Static Hold - SH (Calves sore today, so this movement, wherever I can duplicate it, is a winner.)
• One-Leg Step-Ups: 6c x 10, 10 (I really felt this when I did them, but my legs are far from sore. Perhaps DOMS will set in as the day progresses. Otherwise, it seems like a good exercise. More difficult than mere one-leg squats I might add.)
• Archer Pulls: 3cd x 15, 15, 15 (This shocked me. Four days ago I could not manage one pull. I had to settle for a static hold for 3 sets. Did I actually make a strength gain of this magnitude? Maybe I will attack 4 cables, doubled over for the next session and do a static pull with that.)
• Chest Expander: 3c x 20, 12 (OK, getting stronger. Felt this a bit in right shoulder, but this is to be expected. More on this later.)
• Upright Row: 5c x 8, 8 (sloppy as shit, if I don’t mind saying so myself. Grrr. I can do better. Need to devise a better way of holding the handle. Three fingers is just too cumbersome and uncomfortable)
• Wrist Curls: 3cd x 15, 15 (Superb. For those of you using Ironmind cables, let’s talk a second. There are several ways to do wrist curls with these cables. One way is to do these from a seated position, using doubled over cables to shorten them, with your lower arm resting on your thigh and knee. One handle is in your hand, and the other handle is secured to the floor by your foot. This method is good, but if you are shorter than, say, 5′8″ tall, your lower leg will be too short to give you an adequate pre-stretch and you will find yourself feeling the brunt of the load at the top of the rep, and almost none towards the bottom of the rep because the cables will go slack. What you need to do if you are on the shorter side like me is this:

  Sit on your haunches. In other words, rather than sit on a workout bench, simply secure the handle under your foot, grab the other handle, squat down so that your thigh bone is beyond parallel to the floor. This will give your upper thigh a downward sloping arc. With your forearm resting on your downward sloping thigh and knee, your wrist will be in a pre-stretch from the word go. Your forearm flexor muscles will be tensed up for 100% of the range of motion. Trust me, you will feel like a blow torch is being held on your forearms as you progress throughout the set. DAMN what a contraction!)

• Reverse Wrist Curl: 2c x 15-20 x 2 (I do these in an odd fashion. Not only do I want to hit the extender muscles of the top side of the forearm, but I also want to hit the teeny muscles in the wrist which are most vulnerable in a painful wrist lock such as the one found in Aikido. Have a look at Kote Gaeshi To work these muscles, I only use 2 cables. I grab the handles, expand them as you would in a chest expander, and from the arms extended position, I simply allow my wrists to rotate inward slowly as possible. When I feel a good stretch, I extend my writs back out. I feel this in the wrists a lot.
• Side Chest Pressout: 2c x 20 x 2 (Once again, this is where my right shoulder is at its weakest and most vulnerable. Something tells me this is how I quite possibly injured it many months ago. It stands to reason this is how I am going to get it strong as hell again, with heavens help of course)
• Push-ups: 2c x 10, 8 (Solid reps, major contraction)
• Tricep Pressout: 2c x 20, 15, 15 (nothing remarkable here, accept for the fact that my right shoulder joint was getting tired.
• Pushdown: 2c x 20 x 2
• Regular Curls and Reverse Curls combine: 2c x 10(6), 15(4) (biceps are very sore today.)

Observations:

On a scale of 1-10 this session was an 8. I want to get closer to a ten, where I feel I have challenged my fears of failure more thoroughly.

I may hit shoulders today. We shall see how I feel. I am very congested.

I miss my dumbbells something fierce, but I will enjoy band training for a brief respite.

PS: I am considering going with EliteFts Bands if they will loan me a set. The Ironmind cables have some advantages, but they have a HUGE disadvantage in that the constant changing of cables is a huge pain in the ass. It is time consuming and eventually the ends of the nylon straps start to fray, so that fastening the handles becomes difficult. If I could test the EliteFTS cables, and if I liked the setup, I would post a review and recommend them over the Ironmind. For now, I can only recommend Fabled Cables as the way to go.

I think band training is a wonderful adjunct to traditional strength training, either in combination with it or as a strength medium unto itself.

Workout A

Cardio, Rope Work, 30 Minutes

• Skipping Rope with the help of my worthless iPod Shuffle. Sheesh, what a piece of crap. On the other hand it is small enough that I can use it without the thing flying off out of nowhere in the middle of a power clean. In fact, even though it is a piece of crap I think I will recommend it as an indispensable workout tool. As a listening medium though, it sucks. You have no control over the order of songs and it is only a gig in size. Still, the ‘lil sucker does work well as a jogger, skipping or workout tool. Hmm. Go figure. I am a mass of contradictions today. Hey, wait a minute, no I’m NOT!

Workout B

Staircase Work with 55lb Dumbbells

• 4-15 step flights of stairs up, and 4-15 step flights down, with 55lb dumbbells in each hand.

Observations:
I miss my dumbbells. I miss my bench. But for now, this will have to do. I am living out of my car, bumming couches wherever I can find them, and sleeping in hotels when I can afford it. I need to find a way to make some money, and fast. A job won’t do until I settle down somewhere. Even then, I prefer to work for myself if I can. I just need to find a gig that pays well and consistently. I am consulting with a friend to see how we can turn TPO into a money maker. So, don’t be surprised if I start selling a worthless piece of crap like an iPod Shuffle on my web site. LOL

I am almost out of me MD+ supplements. Man can I feel it. This is a HUGE downside to finding a supplement product line that works as well as Metabolic Diet. Damn. You get so dependant on it! And when you run out, you feel so run down. Holy Crap!

Pre-Workout Nutrition/Diet

• Cup of OJ, Cup of Sippuh (bean juice, java, coffee baby!), two Cliff Bars and a prayer or two.

Rest of the Days Diet

• 3 plates of spaghetti throughout the day, Power Bar

5:30PM First Intro Workout - light

Cable Wrist Curls 3dcx15×2
Reverse Cable Wrist Curls 1cx30, 40, 50, 30
Hindu Pushups 15, 15 (challenging, but familiar still, even though it’s been a few years since I have done them.)
Static Archer Pulls 3dcx5-8second holds….(very challenging…never used this much tension before. Felt awesome. Almost full pulls)
Chest Expander 3cx15, 15 (grip failed me a bit….and that is a good thing…man I love training with bands/cables)
Upright 3cx15, 15 (easy)
Side Push Press 1cx20, 20 (again, very easy, just going for flexibility here. Tomorrow will be more intense.)

Diet
Nothinmg much to report here. I have been living out of my car, bouncing in and out of homes for two solid weeks now. I am looking for a situation that will give me some place to stay for a while. Until I find it, I am looking at one, maybe two meals a day from now on. Still, God is good and He is worthy of praise. Talk is cheap, and praise offered when you have a roof over your head is easy. Let’s see where I am two weeks from now. Let’s see just how faithful I am.

Workout 4 for the prequel week. My Quick-Lock Dumbbells arrived! Yay! But only part of them arrived. Boo! In fact, the handles, extenstion kit and stand showed up, but the other 4 boxes with the actual weight plates have gotten lost by good ole UPS. They have no idea where they are. Let’s hear it for UPS…”YEAH!” Sheeesh.

Anyway, gonna do more of the same sort of session as yesterday.

• Heavy Rope Work 200r, 100rtx8 (wind was even better than yesterday. Last night I was breathing very well and got great sleep. I expected my lungs to give me trouble…and this time they did NOT. I was able to remove some unpleasant stuff from my airways, but my lungs were easily 30% cleaner today than yesterday. Moreover, my wind actually improved since yesteday). More rope again tomorrow.

I will do progressive resistance tomorrow. Today, I recover.

This is workout three of this week. I was plenty sore for the last 3 days, and as it turns out I needed them all to recover. The extra rest was good, but last night was rough and I did not get to sleep until 7:30AM! I had some severe breathing problems that were the result of some reaction to something I ate. The truth is I am exhausted, but I am pressing forward.

Today will be both cardio and combat training. I resume traditional strength in one week. Still waiting on my Quick-Lock Dumbbells.

The next few days will be cardio and cables and combat training style, just to get muscles and lungs increasingly use to stress again.

I have started using a line of supplements I will tell you more about in a separate post, but it will be interesting to see just how good they are.

• Heavy Rope Work 200r, 100rtx8 (wind was excellent. Last night I was sicker n’ hell, and I expected my lungs to give me trouble…and they did. Not in terms of endurance, but just congestion.) Oddly enough, my wind actually improved since 3 days ago. More rope work tomorrow.
• Parallel Chins BW 12, 8, 7
• Reverse Gravity Rows (off bench) BW 8, 8, 10
• Pushups 35, 20, 10, 10, 10 (stamina good, strength better)
• High Step-ups off bench (per leg) 20, 20

Less rest between sets, more reps. Good. Still had plenty left over, and all things considered I am pleased.

That is progress.

In my last installment in this series on building a home gym, I talked about some strategies you can use to outfit your own home with some professional grade strength tools that can help you reach you fitness goals. We discussed calesthenics, bands and cables, Ironmaster etc.
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