Harvesting the Fruits of My Labor

This will be my last post for a few weeks. Tomorrow I go on contract to work the river section of the NOLS Southwest Semester. I will be traveling on the Rio Grande by expedition canoe until the first week of March. As I said in my first post, I workout to help make my job easier. Now, I will go live in the wilderness for a few weeks and put all of my training to good use.

Have a Great Few Weeks!!

Heavy Chest and Biceps Day

After the standard morning workout we had four folks for a quick, intensive weight lifting workout in the evening. No circuit. It was fun to hangout, casually lift heavy weights and laugh at each other.

Morning Weight Training: Chest and Biceps
Flat Bench Dumbbell Press
Incline Dumbbell Press
Push-ups
Flat Bench Dumbbell Flies
Alternating Dumbbell Curls
Concentration Curls
Captains of Crush Grip Trainers
Bench Press
Dips

Evening Session:
Heavy Bench Press (Five sets ending with a maximum bench)
Dips (Three sets to failure)
Barbell Curls "Twenty-ones" (Three sets)

Have a Great Day!

Rest Day and Water

Today was a nice day of rest. It was a hot, dry 70 degrees fahrenheit here in Tucson. We ate good food, did our weekly chores like laundry and dog nail trimming. Most importantly the weights stayed put and my body recovered from the wear and tear of the week of exercise. A big part of a rest day (and everyday for that matter) is hydration.

It is really only by ingenuity and hard work that I can even survive out here by just turning on the tap. My water is piped down here from the overtaxed Colorado River, otherwise the town of Tucson could not exist. Here at NOLS Southwest we do have some cool water saving features: 1) A 3,000 gallon rainwater catchment cistern. We use that water that comes off of our roof to wash vehicles and backpacking gear. 2) A grey water system from the drain of our washing machine. By carefully choosing an eco-groovy detergent we are able to take the water from laundry and use it to feed native plants. 3) Auto shut off faucets. People cannot leave a faucet running down in our shower house facility. 4) Waterless urinals. For the guys in the bathroom this saves a lot of water from being flushed down the drain.

The question though is how much water do I need to function at a high level as an athlete? Like a lot of things that I discuss here, it is all about what works for YOU. I will give you my strategies for staying hydrated and you can figure what will work for your level of activity. I am truly blessed to have clean cold potable water accessible any time of day.

1) With every meal I drink a liter of water. Breakfast especially is important. I am not a person that gets up in the middle of the night to get water. That means that I have been sleeping in the dry climate of the desert for 7-8 hours with no water consumption at all. First thing I do when I get out of bed is start drinking my first liter of water for the day. One liter with each meal.

2) I set alarms throughout the day to keep my water consumption up. 9:30am, 10:30am, 2:30pm, 3:30pm I drink water. Depending on my activity level I will drink anywhere from 20 ounces to one liter at each of these breaks.

3) I keep a full water bottle with me at all times while I am exercising. If you are actually feeling cotton-mouthed and thirsty, you are already down the bad road of dehydration.

4) I monitor my urine output, specifically its color. "Clear and Copious" is the rule of thumb for a healthy level of hydration. If your urine is dark yellow or smells bad, you are way behind. Probably urinate once every hour or two.

For the amount of exercise I do and for the dry desert climate I live in, I consume over a gallon of water per day. There is a great quote from the Canadian Naturalist David Suzuki from his book Sacred Balance: "Water's starring role can be summarized in two astonishing absolutes: As far as we know, no life has ever evolved to exist without water and wherever there is water there is the possibility of life".

Have a Great Day!

Weight Training for the Legs and the WOD: "Go Go Quadzilla, Yeah!"

Today we had a heavy day with the legs. Did a pretty standard lifting routine and then did a great circuit training. The WOD name comes from the old Blue Oyster Cult song Godzilla. We had two folks for the circuit training and we all agreed on the name "Go Go Quadzilla, Yeah!"

Weight Training: Legs
Dumbbell Box Squats
Dumbbell Lunges
Barbell Front Squats
Straight Leg Deadlifts
Glute/Hamstring Developer
Body Weight Calf Raises

Circuit Training WOD: "Go Go Quadzilla, Yeah!" (Do each exercise in order, three sets)
Shuttle Run (Out and Back=10 meters) - 10 reps
100 lbs. Weighted Sled Drag 15 meters - 2 reps
65 lbs. Barbell Back Squat - 30 reps
24" Box Jump - 30 reps
40 meter Walking Lunges with 35 lbs. Kettlebells
Abdominal Crunches - 50 reps
40 meter Crab Walk with Resistance Band

Have a Nice Day!

Heavy Shoulders and Triceps, No Circuit

Big day at work today. I felt fortunate to get in a morning workout and squeezed in a good adjustment by my chiropractor. Now that everything is back where it is supposed to be I can hit a good leg day tomorrow.

Weight Training: Shoulders and Triceps
Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press
Lateral Dumbbell Raise
Alternating Front Dumbbell Raise
Dumbbell Triceps Kickbacks
Diamond Push-ups
Overhead Triceps Press
Captains of Crush Grip Trainers

Have a Great Day!

Lifting for the Back and the Functional WOD: "I Could Crush You, Like a Worm"

My middle name is Stewart and my last name is Murphy. You can't get more Scots-Irish than that.

Every time I exercise using an Atlas Stone I think of my ancestors and their fine tradition of moving rocks: Stone houses, stone walls and throwing stones. I love the scene from "Braveheart" where Hamish is training with stones because the English will not let them train with weapons. Hamish threatens William Wallace with a large boulder claiming, "I could crush you, like a worm". That exchange doesn't end well for Hamish, but man he threw that rock far!

Weight Training: Back

Dumbbell Pullover

One Armed Bent Over Dumbbell Row

Barbell Upright Row

TRX Row

Pull-Ups

Circuit WOD: "I Could Crush You Like a Worm" (Do exercises in order, three complete sets).

15m Weighted Sled Pull (Hand over Hand Drag with a Rope Attached to the Sled)

20 Sledgehammer Swings

5 Tire Flips

5 Stone Lifts (Onto a 48" High Platform)

Landmine Rows

Have a Great Day!

Weight Training Day, Waking Up Late and Crushing the Bench Press!

Today Rebecca and I got up a little bit late and had to hustle through our morning lifting routine. This caused me to cut back on some of the exercises I might normally do (i.e. bodyweight dips vs. weighted dips). We finished just in time for me to head to a staff meeting at work.

There was a hidden bonus to our abbreviated workout this morning. This evening after work I went down to the outdoor gym to hit four sets of bench press with a co-worker. Normally I would get to the bench press after a slew of other exercises in the morning, but this evening I headed to the bench after eight hours of eating and office work. After a couple of warm-up sets I loaded up what would normally be my maximum bench press and cranked out four reps!! It felt great!

Weight Training: Chest and Biceps
Flat Bench Dumbbell Chest Press
Incline Dumbbell Chest Press
Dumbbell Flies
Push-ups
Alternating Dumbbell Biceps Curls
Concentration Biceps Curls
Captains of Crush Grip Trainers
Bench Press
Dips
(Evening) Heavy Bench Press

Have a Great Day!

Legs, The WOD: "SQuatro, SQuattro", and Who Needs a Timer?!

We had some nice cool weather here in the Sonoran Desert today. We stepped out of our comfort zone to do a circuit training without a timer today. It was a tough one.

Weight Training: Legs
Dumbbell Box Squats
Dumbbell Lunges
Front Squats
Straight Leg Deadlifts
Calf Raises
Glute Hamstring Developer
Back Squat with Heavy Chains

The WOD: "SQuattro, SQuattro"! (Each exercise is done in order. Execute three full sets).
400m Run
30m Weighted Sled Drag (100 lbs.)
30- 24" Box Jumps
30- Back Squats with Olympic Barbell
40m Walking Lunges (with 20lbs. Dumbells)
50- Abdominal Crunches
80m Farmer's Carry (with 2- 5 Gallon Water Jugs)

Have a Great Day!

Thoughts on Middle Age and Strength Training, Shoulders, Triceps and the WOD: "YO! ADRIAN!"

It is interesting looking back at the way I train now at forty-four and compare it to my youth. My time in the basement with my Dad and brothers doing dumbbell exercises getting ready for the soccer season as kids. My time on Camp Foster on Okinawa as a young Marine working hard in the gym, believing in the motto that "Strong people are harder to kill". And now, squarely middle aged lifting heavy weights six days a week.

There are some lessons that I have learned over the years and apply now. Maybe they will help you, maybe it is just common sense. Hell, I don't know but here they are anyway:

#1 At 44 years old I don't recover nearly as quickly as I used to... from anything. A hard workout, a long day of paddling, or a heavy night of drinking. You name it and it takes longer to bounce back than it did when I was twenty. A solid 7-8 hours of sleep is a must or I am a wreck.

#2 I used to be able to eat anything and have the energy to work all day. In the Marines I would eat a big breakfast and then get a breakfast sandwich and hash browns to go. Lunch and then a burger and fries to go. Dinner and another burgers and fries. I had the gut of a goat.

I still eat quite a bit to have the calories I need to workout hard, but I am more aware. Every meal has fruit and or vegetables in it. And I drink over a gallon of water a day (This will be the subject of a post later this week...) You need to be more aware of the food you consume as you get older to perform at a high level.

#3 Take care of your body. Learn and practice good lifting technique. If you aren't a person who can learn through reading or watching YouTube, go get coached up on proper technique from a trainer. Get a chiropractic adjustment when things don't feel structurally sound. Get a massage when you need to loosen up. Take good care of your well rested, well fed and well hydrated body.

#4 Finally, don't be afraid to lift heavy weights. At 44 years old I am now dead-lifting more than I ever have. Middle age does not have to take you out of the game, you just need to take better care of your body.

Weight Training: Shoulders and Triceps
Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press
Alternating Front Dumbbell Raises
Lateral Dumbbell Raises
Dumbbell Triceps Kickbacks
Diamond Push-ups
Overhead Dumbbell Triceps Press
Captains of Crush Grip Trainers

Circuit Training WOD: "YO! ADRIAN!"(Each exercise done for one minute and fifteen seconds, three sets. One minute rest between sets).
Jump Rope
Triceps Dips
One Armed Landmine Push Press
Diamond Push-ups
Heavy Bag Work
Crunches
Heavy Rope Whips

Have a Great Day!

Sure Wasn't Much of a Football Game...

Wasn't much to watch. Seems that no matter what the rule changes, defense continues to win
championships. Back to the circuit training tomorrow!

Weight Training: Back
Dumbbell Pullovers
One Arm Bent-Over Dumbbell Row
Barbell Upright Row
TRX Row
Weighted Pull-ups

Have a Great Day!

"I'll be your huckleberry..."

I rested on Friday and drove out to the Galiuro Mountains in Arizona. On Saturday morning we picked up the NOLS Southwest Outdoor Educator Course and transitioned them from hiking to rock climbing. We drove them to just outside of the legendary town of Tombstone where the shootout at the O.K. Corral occurred. They will spend the next ten days rock climbing at Cochise Stronghold. I then drove back home and focused on just lifting this evening.

Weight Training: Chest and Biceps
Dumbbell Chest Press
Incline Dumbbell Chest Press
Dumbbell Flies
Push-ups
Alternating Dumbbell Curls
Concentration Dumbbell Curls
Captains of Crush Grip Trainers
Bench Press
Weighted Dips

Have a Great Day!