Fitness Blog

Blog moved.

2009-03-23T21:28:00.000-07:00

http://www.binaryexposure.com/fizical. See you all there!

35.83 miles - first ride home from work of the year!

2009-03-14T09:42:00.000-07:00

Did 35.83 miles yesterday - great ride for the most part. I did manage to get a bit lost, which was funny, but not too bad. Of course it slowed me down. I averaged 16.5 mph, although my bike computer was usually reading between 19-21 mph. That increase in speed is due to a couple of changes that I've made to my bike. I shortened my stem to take some of the pressure off of my elbows (they would REALLY hurt when I rode) and got some new wheels. They feel much faster and are whisper quiet - no more popping noises while I'm riding, which is nice.

And I think the bearings are quite a bit better.

All in all, a good day.

This brings me to a grand total of 210.34 miles down, 2289.66 to go, and 91.59% remaining. 40 more miles until I hit 10% done. Whoo!

30.59 miles

2009-03-07T15:08:00.000-08:00

Today was a total grind of 30 miles. It was supposed to be windy, rainy and snowy. But it was and just kept staying partially sunny. So I went for it, and managed to get in 30 miles, most of that dry. Except for about 10 minutes, where it rained, then hailed, then snowed, then rained again, then rained sideways, then stopped.

Moved pretty well, but my heart rate monitor was being fritzy. That was a big pain, I think I need new batteries.

Spin class today...

2009-02-24T14:17:00.000-08:00

kicked my ASS! I'm gonna be feeling that for the rest of the week. Thanks a lot for that...

I know, academically, why working hard feels good. But sometimes, the more you push and the more it hurts (not in a permanent "Oh crap, I'm gonna be seriously injured for life," kind of a way, but more in a "Oh crap, this is what my limit feels like. What happens when I push a bit harder," kind of a way), the better it feels. I don't know if it's just that your body produced more endorphins, or if it's a mental thing, or what. I guess I don't really care. Finishing a hard workout, lying there sweaty with my muscles burning has a feeling that's not quite like anything else I've ever experienced. It's just a feeling of satisfaction and well being that I only ever get when I've worked my ass off. And it's good times.

Thursday Spin, Saturday Cycle

2009-02-23T00:21:00.000-08:00

Totally spaced on recording this here, but did an hour of spin on Thursday (was really hard, and I worked my muscles really heavily) and did 30 miles on Saturday. The cool thing about the ride on Saturday was that I burned my previous average speed by over a mile an hour - and that was with traffic. So I was really pleased by that. Maybe, if I keep it up, I will be able to do the STP in a day...

cycling/rowing combo

2009-02-17T21:57:00.000-08:00

I didn't have a chance to go to spin class today, but I was able to spin on my own bike and the cycleOps today. Went hard for 25"48', and ended up quite sweaty. After that, a simple and easy 1k on the rowing machine rounded out my workout. I focused, like my wife suggested, on stretching way out. So far out, in fact, that I need to make a mental note to move the stuff behind the rowing machine next time before I use it.

Additionally, I did some ankle strengthening exercises on the BOSU ball. I think that really shows how bad my balance is and how bad weak my ankles are. My goal was 1 minute standing on a single foot while still. I was nowhere near still, and only sometimes single footed. And while I only touched my other foot to the ground, it's not something I should have to do. It's definitely something to keep working on.

Another exercise I did on the Tour de BOSU was a sit/stand type of exercise I saw on youtube that looked interesting. In practice, it was not what I envisioned. It didn't work my abs as much as I thought it would. I would doubt that I will try it again.

Rowing Day - new PR

2009-02-15T23:22:00.000-08:00

Did 5025m in 19:05, shaving 45 seconds off of my previous recorded PR. That's a pretty big chunk. My wife, however, said that I need to stretch out my stroke and really take advantage of my length. So that's something to work on, for sure. But it felt good - with the exception of the hope that I wouldn't vomit. I didn't, so that was a good thing.

37.75 bicycle miles

2009-02-07T20:06:00.000-08:00

Did 37.75 miles on my bicycle today - bringing my grand total for the year to 4% of my goal with 91.41 miles and leaving me with 2386.18 miles remaining. Some of these miles were hard fought. This included over 1100 feet of ascent. It started out quite a bit slower than usual - my wife is just getting into cycling and isn't quite ready to hit the speeds that I normally move at. However, after she turned back, I was really able to turn up the speed. I think that if I was able to push the trail consistently, I could probably average about 18 miles an hour (the trail is quite flat. There is some elevation gain but it's gradual. Most of the elevation on today's ride was on roads after we headed off the trail). Today was about 15. Next time, next time.

1 Hour spin class

2009-02-03T13:59:00.000-08:00

Just completed the "Vicious Cycle" spin class at Seattle Fitness, and man, am I tired. Overall, it was a really good run, and I felt good - but it was exhausting. As the weather gets nicer and the days get longer, I'll be dialing back the spin classes and replacing them with real cycling, but until then, this spin class is pretty sweet.

Short Row today

2009-02-02T22:51:00.000-08:00

Had a bunch of errands to do today (you know how it is, first day back from vacation) - but wanted to get something in. So I rowed - hard. 1km, 3:40. My lungs were burning and my heart was racing. All in all, a job well done. I think I don't do enough sprinting exercises, and I really should. Maybe this will become a regular occurrence - and as I get better I'll either cut time or increase distance.

Also spent Friday and Saturday down at Joshua Tree, hiking and driving through the park. In a word - awesome. The world is really an amazing place. Get off your ass and go see it.

1 hour of spin class

2009-01-22T15:52:00.000-08:00

I've been doing a spin class since the beginning of December or so in order to keep my body in shape for cycling. Had another class today, and had a good time. I've been trying out some wool shirts as opposed to the synthetic ones that end up violently smelly, after a bunch of use. I like them, but they get their own "wet wool" smell when you're sweating rivulets.

20 minutes of rowing

2009-01-21T22:13:00.000-08:00

Rowed Sunday night. 20 mintues, 4300 m.

I love the rowing machine. That said, I pulled easy for 20 minutes today, garnering 4100 m. Not bad. Tomorrow is spin class, so I didn't want to kill myself.

Maybe a ride this weekend - if I'm lucky. I fixed a slow flat I got last weekend, tonight. TINY pinprick hole. Made short work of it, though. If no ride, then I'll work some more rowing in, or something.

53.66 miles today

2009-01-17T19:51:00.000-08:00

Me and the bicycle. Oh yeah.

It was a pretty good ride today, with the exception that it was seriously cold and we apparently didn't bring enough food (and therefore started getting hungry). Average was a little slower than usual - not surprising considering my spin class was on Thursday, but still, a little disappointing. I'd like to see my average speed go UP, not down or stay the same. Come on!

Anyway, 76.07 miles down, 2423.93 to go.

It'll be a good day when I finally bust out that 500th mile.

22 miles on Saturday

2009-01-12T11:04:00.000-08:00

Did 22 miles on my bicycle on Saturday. It was a good "get back into it ride". Pretty simple, not a lot of hills. I notice that the spin class I've been going to has fostered changes in me physically, as I am able to perform at averages comparable to my peak last year. If I keep it up, I could easily ramp up to averages at or around 20 miles/hour. Here's hoping.

Goals '09

2008-12-30T10:40:00.000-08:00

My fitness goals for 2009 are as follows:

1) Join a Crossfit gym and kick my ass.
2) Row 100km on my rowing machine.
3) Improve my balance and agility.
4) Take up a martial art.
5) Cycle frequently to work.
6) Ride over 2500 miles.
7) Start hiking and more overnight camping!
8) Summit Mt. St. Helens!
9) Snowboard more!

What are your goals for this next year?

Uh, whoops

2008-08-12T23:11:00.001-07:00

So it's been a while. But during that while I've been biking - a lot. Did the Seattle To Portland in July (204 miles, about 12 hours riding time and the GPS indicates that I burned 16,617 calories just during the ride. Add onto that all the calories I NORMALLY burn, and it's probably close to 19 or 20k. Not bad.

I normally bike to work twice a week. That's 18 miles there, 20 miles back. Sometimes I only ride in, depending on what my schedule is like. A one way trip burns 1400 calories, with the two way trip burning 2900.

Additionally, my wife and I have started the 100 push up challenge. My initial number was 21(R=real) push ups and my wife did 28 (K=kneeling) push ups. Today was our first day, and we both started out on track one. Her max was 25, mine was 15 (I also rode 38 miles today, so I think I did pretty good). Another thing that I'm starting is the 100 burpee challenge, or 100 days to 100 burpees. Unlike the push up regimen, the burpees are done every day. Wish me luck!

Hit the trail

2008-05-18T12:28:00.000-07:00

So Friday was bike to work day. I did. 21.9 miles. Got a flat at the 15 mile mark. No way to fix it. Walked until someone stopped me and helped me out. The temporary patch worked great and got me to work, which was much appreciated. Made it the rest of the way without incident. Only went one way as my tube was still borked.

I replaced my tube Friday night.

Saturday I did 30 miles with my father in law. Pretty flat, but it was good to get right back out there. It was really friggin' hot out there and there was a headwind both ways (It's an out and back type of a trail). Back was sore from the two days of riding and the leg lifts I did earlier in the week.

So I'll see you all out on the trail.

Holy Crap updates

2008-05-15T23:04:00.001-07:00

So I've been keeping track of my workouts personally, but haven't updated my blog in over a month. So In an effort to appease my readers (my little brother), here they are, in as good of an order as I can get them in. I'll put the newest on top.

14-May-2008

5k row 19:44.9 (PR)
Seated tricep press 1x8, 1x4 55 #/arm
50 situps
50 20 # medicine ball swings (like kettle bell swings, the medicine ball had a handle)
- 30 both arms, 10 left, 10 right.
5 10-count leg lifts
2x10 @ 120# calf raises
15 cable chops 45# side

12-May-2008

Medicine ball throws on the BOSU ball - 10 #
2k row
1.4 mi run

08-May-2008

Did this one with nissan. Lucky for him I captured both of our times
Medicine ball throws on the bosu ball - 16#.
1 mi run - me 7:45 nissan - 8:51
2k row - me 4:48 nissan - 9:30
3x8 mil press 55#, 65#, 70#.

4-26-2008

34.10 mi bicycle ride 2:37:22'51. Lopez island.
First bicycle ride on the new bike. Felt good, especially once I taught myself how to shift correctly.

I don't have dates for these other ones:

3x10 bicep curl - 50#, 60#, 60#
3x7 Deadlift - 205#
2x50 situps (first 1:50'91, second 1:59'56)
10x10 pushups (keep that butt down!)
dumbell press 3x10 (30-35#)
1k row - 3:47

25 minute row - 5775m

Run 1 mi: 7:50'62
50 situps
50 pushups
lat pull 4x5 @ 180#
cable chop 3x10 (no weight recorded)
bicep curl 3x10 (no weight recorded)
1 k row 4:01
tricep row 3x10 (no weight recorded)

5k row 20:01
10x10 pushups
2x50 situps
2x50 squats
3x10 lat pull
with no weight for these.

There you have it. I know there are other workouts in there. I can remember their generalities, but not their specifics. I'll try to be more studious about this in the future.

Results 07-Apr-2008 Hal

2008-04-07T21:37:00.000-07:00

Today's workout:
1 mi run: 7:43
Dead lift 8x3 -140 lbs
sit ups 50x2
calf raises 25x2 - 120 lbs
lat pull downs 8x3 - 170 lbs
push ups - 60
back extension 25x2 - first 15@ 25lbs

I went light on the dead lifts today because I was not feeling like I was doing the move right. So I took it a little easy to begin with. This overall workout was really nice. I did push ups until I hit muscle fade.

Hopefully I'm not wicked sore tomorrow.

Results 03-Apr-2008 Hal

2008-04-03T21:09:00.000-07:00

Today's workout

5k rowing machine (level 4)
50 situps
50 squats
50 pushups

time: 32:51
5k time: 20:29

Lesson 1: make sure your equipment is in order before starting. For some reason, someone at the gym puts a yoga mat under the front legs of the rowing machine - bad idea, as it just makes the machine slide backwards as your workout continues. So after more than a minute trying to work with it as set up, I gave up and got everything fixed the way I wanted. So there's definitely futzing time in there, as well. I ended up breaking the others exercises up because there was some muscle fade going on. But done, as indicated, 32:51. Not bad, considering this was my first 5k on the rower.

Results 31-Mar-2008 Hal

2008-03-31T20:02:00.000-07:00

Today's mortification of the flesh:

1 mi run
30-20-10
pushups, situps, burpees
1 mi run.

for time.

a big DNF for me today... weak. Did everything except for the last run, when things down in the stomach started feeling decidedly... turbulent (at about 1/4 mi in). So I called it in favor of keeping lunch down. I think I made the right decision. We'll do this again Apr 30 and see how much better I do. today's time 28:43, which includes a fun mat wait.

Results 26-Mar-2008 Hal

2008-03-26T19:12:00.000-07:00

3k Rowing machine (level 4) - 12:05
Dumbbell curls 30 lb 2x10
Hanging tricep row 50 lb 2x10
10 dips
15 leg curls @150 (machine)
15 leg extensions @ 135 (machine)
50 situps

Today's workout was actually a lot of fun. I enjoyed working with the rowing machine for that amount of time (usually, I only do about 500m as fast as possible). Then I did the weights instead of mat work because the wonderful gym I go to has 5(!) single person mats, which were naturally all in use. All in all, a good workout - the mix felt good. Much better than Monday's performance.

Results 24-Mar-2008 Hal

2008-03-24T20:34:00.000-07:00

In a horrible turn of events, I haven't been able to get my workout on for several weeks. So in my grand return to the gym, here's my workout. It felt terrible, because it feels like I lost a lot of my

1/2 mi. on the treadmill, 7.5 mph.

10 pushups, 15 situps, 15 squats
As many repetitions as possible in 20 minutes.

Only 10... weak.

500 m rowing machine - 1:44

bicep curls, 10 reps, 30 lbs.

I was knackered. But tomorrow is another day.

Results 03-Mar-2008 Hal

2008-03-04T00:38:00.000-08:00

It's been too long since I've been to the gym, so I assigned myself a real trial. For time do the following:
1mi run
followed by
30-20-10
pushups
situps
burpees
and wrap it all up with 1mi run.

my time: 34:19.

This was tough. Really tough. Closest I can ever remember coming to yarfing. Thankfully, no such treat today. Just lots and lots of solid movement. Burpees kill me in the face. I was breaking them up pretty heavily at the end.... 5 and 6 at a time.

I contemplated going back up (30-20-10-10-20-30) but after the first round, decided that just counting down would be more than enough suffering.

Today's song: Bleed it out, Linkin Park.

Results 26-Feb-2008 Hal

2008-02-26T23:18:00.000-08:00

Today's workout:
400 m run
50 squats
30 back extensions
5 rounds for time

Todays time: 29:54.41. Would have been faster but thanks to the fact the gym only has one back extension chair and some lady decided to take FOREVER on the thing, (including rests) it wasn't. Probably blew at least two minutes off of my time. I'll leave my time as is as motivation to get my own equipment.

At any rate, this thoroughly exhausted me. I felt pretty good on the runs, which I did on a treadmill at 8, 8, 7.5, 7.5 and 8 mph respectively. The squats felt a lot better as I was able to do larger groups of them at a time.

I rearranged the back extensions (thanks to the lady and her dawdling) so I did a group of 60 instead of 2 groups of 30. Not great but oh well. My back reached its limit with 4 to go, so I had to pause for 10 seconds before grunting the last few out.

Other than that, I did 10 military dumbbell presses, 30 lbs dumbbells, and 10 bicep curls, 30 lb dumbbells.

All in all, a good day.