Changing It Up On Back Day!

If you follow this blog you will see that I try to do different variants of similar exercises. Take rows for example: One armed dumbbell rows, up right barbell rows and landmine rows. I think it is a good thing to work muscle groups with a variety of exercises. This not only keeps me from getting mentally bored but it also keeps my muscles from getting used to one workout routine. By constantly changing parts of my workouts and their intensity my body is more likely to change for the better. Today I added in fat bar wide grip pull-ups, a weighted keg lift onto a platform and sumo deadlifts!

Today's quote is from Steve Jobs:

"For the last 33 years I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: 'If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?' And whenever the answer has been 'No' for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something."

Morning Lifting Routine: Back
Dumbbell Pullovers
One Arm Bent Over Dumbbell Rows
Superset: Pull-ups, TRX Rows, Upright Barbell Rows
Captains of Crush Grip Trainers

Evening Circuit: (Do each exercise in order to complete a set. Three sets total. One minute rest between sets.)
Fat Bar Wide Grip Pull-Ups, maximum repetitions
Kettle Bell Swings, 20 repetitions
Fat Grip Dumbbell Snatches, 5 repetitions per side
Weighted Keg to 48" Platform, 5 repetitions

Evening Lifting Routine:
Landmine Rows, 3 sets
Sumo Deadlifts, 3 sets

Have a Great Day!

Progress and the WOD: "A Deadman's Chest"

The workout called for chest and biceps work today. It turned out to be a day where we tried a few new combinations of exercises and I watched one of my regular workout partners put up a personal best on the bench press! It is very rewarding to see the progress that comes from hard work. While we were cranking out the wrap up WOD, Flatfoot 56 was blaring "Battle of Bones" so I figured the workout would be called "A Deadman's Chest".

Today's quote is from Khalil Gibran:

"Progress lies not in enhancing what is, but in advancing toward what will be."

Morning Weight Training: Chest and Biceps
Heavy Dumbbell Flat Bench Chest Press
Heavy Dumbbell Incline Bench Chest Press
Dumbbell Flies
Push-Ups
Dumbbell Concentration Curls
Standing Alternating Dumbbell Curls
Superset Bench Press with Resistance Bands and
Bodyweight Dips

Evening Weight Training WOD: "A Deadman's Chest"
Heavy Bench Press, 4 sets to include a 1 repetition maximum press
Weighted Dips, 4 sets
Gymnastic Ring Push-Ups, 3 sets maximum repetitions to failure
15 lb. Wall Ball Chest Pass against a wall, 3 sets of 50 repetitions
Abdominal Crunches, 100 repetitions

Have a Great Day!

Back from L.A. and a Leg Workout Day

We got back from a weekend in L.A. where we attended a wedding. It was a great time, a wonderful ceremony and a really neat experience in a city that I have spent little time in. I also took the weekend off from training and came back today rested and revived. There is one thing that I would suggest to anyone in L.A.: If you have not eaten tacos from one of the Kogi BBQ trucks you are truly missing out. One of the trucks catered the wedding... the Spicy Pork Taco is out of this world!

Today's quote is from Audrey Hepburn:

"People, even more than things have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone."

Morning Lifting Routine: Legs
Dumbbell Box Squats
Dumbbell Lunges
Barbell Front Squats
Stiff Leg Deadlifts
Glute/Hamstring Developer
Calf Raises
Captains of Crush Grip Trainers

Afternoon Lifting Session:
Weighted Sled Push (310 lb. Rogue Dog Sled), 5 minutes
Back Squats with Heavy Chains

Evening Circuit WOD: "Just the Facts" (Each exercise done for one minute and thirty seconds to make a set. Three sets total. One minute break between sets.)
Jump Rope
Barbell Squats
Wall Sit
Glute/Hamstring Developer
Prisoner Step-ups
Calf Raises
Abdominal Crunches

Have a Great Day!

Shoulders, Triceps and Off to L.A.

Today's workout was a simple dumbbell session. We transitioned our NOLS Southwest Instructor Course from their backpacking section to their rock climbing section. That involved me doing some driving and some paperwork. On top of that I need to get ready to go to a wedding in L.A. this weekend (some more driving). This includes getting a haircut, packing, loading the car, etc. All of this life related multitasking caused me to postpone the evening workouts until Monday.

Today's quote is from Bosco Tjan:

"Most of the time multitasking is an illusion. You think you are multitasking, but in reality you are actually wasting time switching from one task to another."

Morning Lifting Routine: Shoulders and Triceps
Seated Shoulder Dumbbell Press
Lateral Dumbbell Raise
Alternating Front Dumbbell Raise
Captains of Crush Grip Trainer
Diamond Triceps Push-up
Dumbbell Kickback
Overhead Dumbbell Triceps Extension

Have a Great Weekend! Back at it Monday.

Lifting for the Back, Earth Day and the WOD: 5x5x3

It was Earth Day yesterday and that always reminds me how lucky I have been for the last 15 years working for NOLS. I have had the privilege of being paid to travel in some of the most remote wild lands on this Earth. It shocks me though when I can be in a pristine place like the Kimberley region of Australia or the Arctic Barrenlands and see no sign of human beings for over a month and then come back to "civilization" and see how badly we treat our environment. Someday I sincerely hope that humans will realize that everything, I mean EVERYTHING we do impacts this Earth. Someday. My co-worker sent out this cartoon on Earth Day and I think that it says it all.

Today was a great workout day. We had a good morning lifting session and then there were three folks for the evening WOD. My good friend whose wife had a baby on April 1st came for the first time in a while. It was great to have him here and we had a fun time working out.

Today's quote is from John Muir:

"When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe."

Morning Weight Training Session: Back
Heavy Dumbbell Pullovers
Heavy One Armed Bent-Over Dumbbell Rows
Upright Barbell Rows
Weighted Close Grip Pull-Ups

Evening WOD: 5x5x3 (Do each exercise in order to complete one set. Three sets total.)
5 - Sledgehammer Swings per side
5 - Tire Flips
5 - Atlas Stone Lifts
5- 15 foot Rope Climbs
5 - Fat Grip Dumbbell Snatches

Evening Weight Training:
Landmine Rows
Heavy Deadlifts

Have a Great Day!

Arms War

Today was chest and biceps on the schedule but it turned into a day where the forearms got WORKED. I have tried to do traditional weightlifting mixed in with the development of functional strength. I think that there are few things more functional than developing a strong grip through forearm training.

Today's quote is from Henry Ford:

"Enthusiasm is the yeast that makes your hopes shine to the stars. Enthusiasm is the sparkle in your eyes, the swing in your gait. The grip of your hand, the irresistible surge of will and energy to execute your ideas."

Morning Weight Training: Chest and Biceps
Dumbbell Flat Bench Chest Press
Dumbbell Incline Bench Chest Press
Dumbbell Flies
Push-Ups
Captains of Crush Grip Trainers
Alternating Standing Dumbbell Curls
Concentration Dumbbell Curls
Bench Press with Resistance Bands
Bodyweight Dips

Evening Weight Training:
Heavy Bench Press
Weighted Dips
"21s" Barbell Curls
Captains of Crush Grip Trainers (Do a set between each set of each exercise.)

Have a Great Day!

And we decided to call it "The Meat Grinder"...

We were back to work today after folks returned from weekend adventures: a mountain bike race, a weekend in Joshua Tree, returning from a trip to Seattle. Our in-town team here at NOLS Southwest got a well deserved break and are now ready to finish out our spring season.

After work we had one of our best showings yet at a workout with six people showing up for a leg workout. When it was all said and done we took a poll on a good name for the routine and decided that we would call that WOD the "Meat Grinder".

Today's quote is from Hope Solo:

"My confidence comes from the daily grind- training my butt off day in and day out."

Morning Weight Lifting Routine: Legs
Dumbbell Box Squats
Dumbbell Lunges
Barbell Front Squats
GHD
Bodyweight Calf Raises
Straight Leg Deadlifts (also known as a Stiff Leg Deadlift...)

Evening WOD: "The Meat Grinder" (Each exercise is done in order to complete a set. Three sets total. No rest.)
5 meter Lateral Slide, 10 repetitions
60 meter Weighted Tire Sled Drag (Walking backwards pulling the weighted tire sled.)
30" Box Jumps, 25 repetitions
Abdominal Crunches, 65 repetitions
10 meter Weighted Rogue Dog Sled Push, 6 repetitions
5 meter Crabwalk with Resistance Band, 4 repetitions

Evening Weight Training:
Back Squats with Heavy Chains

Have a Great Day!

Easter, Hoping for Rain and Shoulder Work Ahead

Well, Happy Easter to all of the folks out there that celebrate it. Easter always makes me feel like spring has actually arrived. The past few days here in Tucson have been overcast with even a few sprinkles of rain. Like all of the western United States, we definitely need it. All reports are that we can expect higher than average rainfall from this year's monsoon. We will see.

Today is a day that I am going to work the triceps and the shoulders, but I am putting an emphasis on the shoulders with heavy weights and low repetitions. It is work that often shows little gain because the muscle groups are so small compared to say the squat or deadlift. Celebrate modest gains in these exercises.

Today's quote is from John Wooden:

"It's the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen."

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

Evening Weight Training:
Heavy Barbell Shoulder Shrugs
Barbell Push Press
Barbell Skull Crushers
Fat Grip Dumbbell Clean to Press

Have a Great Day!

The Workout Flip-Flop and Lifting for the Back

Today life has thrown a couple of scheduling wrenches into the gears. Pretty simple fix but it does mean that the usual evening circuit training and heavy lifting will happen this morning and the typical morning dumbbell routine will happen in the evening. I emailed my usual circuit training companions and they will just have to fly solo this evening if they are wanting to workout. I think of it as a great opportunity for them to take some initiative.

In celebration of baseball being back and having to reschedule today's workout, today's quote is from Bob Uecker:

"The way to catch a knuckleball is to wait until it stops rolling and then pick it up."

Circuit WOD: "Iron Maiden" (Do each exercise in order to complete a set. Three sets total.)
20-SISU Hammer Swings, 10 per side.
1-10 meter Hand over Hand Weighted Sled Pull
4-Tire Flips
1-Atlas Stone Lift
1-5 meter Rope Climb
60-Abdominal Crunches

Morning Weight Training:
Heavy Landmine Rows (Three sets)
Heavy Deadlift (Three sets ending with maximum lift attempt.)

Evening Lifting Routine: Back
Dumbbell Pullovers
Bent-over One Armed Dumbbell Rows
Upright Barbell Rows
TRX Rows
Weighted Wide Grip Pull-ups
Fat Grip Heavy Dumbbell Snatches 

Have a Great Day!

The Word of the Day is "Heavy"

We wrapped up our project with the Watershed Management Group today. It was fun to see all of the progress that a handful of people can make in two days. Now we will just have to see how it all holds up with the coming monsoon rains. I am just glad that NOLS Southwest is committed to improving the facility and making it more sustainable and environmentally friendly to the desert around us.

The morning lifting session was good with a change of pace being the bench press with the resistance bands. I would like to develop a good, explosive push up on my bench press and these bands may do the trick. Only time will really tell. The evening session was very hard with three folks showing up for a heavy lifting session.

Today's quote is from Frederick Douglass:

"If there is no struggle, there is no progress."

Morning Weight Training: Chest and Biceps
Flat Bench Dumbbell Press
Incline Dumbbell Press
Dumbbell Flies
Weighted Push-Ups
Captains of Crush Grip Trainers
Alternating Standing Dumbbell Curls
Concentration Dumbbell Curls
Bench Press with Resistance Bands
Body Weight Dips

Evening Weight Training:
Heavy Bench Press (4 sets)
Fat Bar Reverse Grip Barbell Curls (3 sets)
TRX Push-Ups (3 sets)
Weighted Dips (3 sets)

Have a Great Day!

Legs, Stones and The Watershed Management Group

Today was a very different day for us here at NOLS Southwest. It started out with a good morning routine lifting for the legs and then we had a project to do with the Watershed Management Group (WMG) on the base. During the monsoon rains here in Tucson, water would flow down our slopes and they were threatening to take out a retaining wall near our equipment room and climbing wall. Trevor from WMG came and put us to work. We dug out basins, channels and a French drain which we then lined with rock to divert the rain from the buildings and into an area where we will plant some native trees. What this all meant for us: Lots of digging and lots of moving of very large rocks.

After work we had a bit of a rest out of the heat of the sun and then we had three people show up for the evening circuit WOD: "Band of Brothers and Sisters".

Today's quote is from Saint Bernard of Clairvaux:

"You will find more in woods than in books. Trees and stones will teach you that which you can never learn from masters."

Morning Weight Training: Legs
Dumbbell Box Squats
Dumbbell Lunges
Barbell Front Squats (New personal record!)
Straight Leg Deadlifts
GHD
Body Weight Calf Raises

Evening WOD: "Band of Brothers and Sisters" (Each exercise done in order to make one set. Three sets total.)

10 meter Suicide Sprints (10 repetitions)
60 meter Weighted Sled Pull, 105 lbs.
Barbell Squats with 30 lbs. Resistance Band (20 repetitions)
30" Box Step-Ups (25 repetitions)
Abdominal Crunches (60 repetitions)
20 meter Crabwalk with Resistance Band

Evening Weight Training:
Barbell Back Squats with Heavy Chains

Have a Great Day!

Shoulders, Triceps, Getting Older and The Love of Craigslist

I enjoyed a great day off from work today!

I love Craigslist. I am a firm believer in the fact that anything you want will appear on Craigslist if you are just patient enough. Yesterday the power rack that I have been eyeballing for a long time appeared on the site: Rogue Fitness R4 Power Rack. The guy threw in a Matador dip attachment, a set of band pegs, and two weight storage pins! I jumped on it as soon as I saw it and now have a great rack that makes heavy lifts a whole lot safer. I worked this morning while it was cool to make a sturdy, level platform that I could bolt the rack to.

I lift six days a week and have a life long friend from back in Virginia that now lives in Houston. We don't get to see each other very often but we are both doing a lot of heavy lifting: He is currently doing a 5x5 workout of bench press, squats, deadlifts and rows. We are the same age and we text each other with our gains. I mostly text him my gains in the lifts he is doing. Lately we have been commenting about how we lift more now than we did when we were 19 years old but that the gains are slower. The reality has set in that we are middle aged and that we are losing muscle mass and bone density each and every day as we get older. We will keep at it though, I just might have to buy a few fractional plates!

Today's quote is from George Bernard Shaw:

"You don't stop laughing when you grow old, you grow old when you stop laughing."

Weight Training: Shoulders and Triceps
Seated Overhead Dumbbell Press
Alternating Front Dumbbell Raises
Lateral Dumbbell Raises
Captains of Crush Grip Trainers
Dumbbell Triceps Kickbacks
Triceps Push-Ups
Overhead Triceps Extensions
Heavy Barbell Shoulder Shrugs
Barbell Push Press (New personal best tonight!)
Barbell Skull Crushers

Have a Great Day!

Active Rest Day

Busy week at work with a great week of lifting. It won't happen every week but it has been great to see hard work payoff in my deadlift, bench press and push press. The body is a bit beat up though and I will enjoy a nice day of just lightly spinning on the bike. Eat, drink and rest to make this coming week a good one as well.

Today's quote is from Maya Angelou:

"Every person needs to take one day away. A day in which one consciously separates the past from the future. Jobs, family, employers and friends can exist one day without any of us, and if our egos permit us to confess, they could exist eternally in our absence. Each person deserves a day away in which no problems are confronted, no solutions searched for. Each of us needs to withdraw from the cares which will not draw from us."

20 - minutes of light spinning on the bike.

Have a Great Day!

Going Heavy on Back Day

After our early morning run to the airport and a day at work I was ready for a great evening of lifting. Of all the days of the week, I look forward to back days the most. Rows and deadlifts just seem awesome in their simplicity and when they are complete I can feel that my whole body is wiped out.

Today's quote is from F. Scott Fitzgerald:

"There are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy and the tired."

Weight Training: Back
Dumbbell Pullovers
One Armed Bent Over Dumbbell Rows
Captains of Crush Grip Trainers
Barbell Upright Rows
Weighted Pull-Ups
TRX Rows
Fat Grip Dumbbell Snatches
Heavy Landmine Rows
Heavy Deadlifts

Have a Great Day!

Chest Weight Training and a New Project

There was a ton going on today here at NOLS Southwest. We got our Medicine in the Wild course out the door and then our two Borders Semesters returned from their rock climbing camps. Tomorrow these two courses pack up and we drive them at 4 a.m. (?!) to the airport for their journey to NOLS Pacific Northwest. They will then complete their semesters by sailing and sea kayaking. That will wrap up a pretty hectic week for all of us here at the base.

Tomorrow I am going to make a fat bar dumbbell handle. I am hoping to be able to make one that can take a beating, is adjustable and that I can use for exercises like a clean to press and snatches. I will keep you posted on how it turns out.

Todays quote is from Henry David Thoreau:

"It is not enough to be busy. So are the ants. The question is: What are we busy about?"

Morning Weight Training: Chest and Biceps

Flat Bench Dumbbell Press

Incline Bench Dumbbell Press

Dumbbell Flies

Push-Ups

Alternating Standing Dumbbell Curls

Concentration Dumbbell Curls

Evening Weight Training:

Heavy Bench Press (Finally put up 300 lbs.)

Weighted Dips

Have a Great Day!

Legs and the "Un-Chained Grasshopper"

Our Medicine in the Wild Course spent the day packing their gear and their rations. They will head out to the Gila Wilderness tomorrow morning at 8 a.m. It was also my good friend's 30th birthday. He and his wife swung by for a visit with their little baby that is 10 days old. Good day here at the NOLS Southwest base!

We were able to get in a morning lifting session today as well as a circuit WOD followed by some back squats with heavy chains in the evening. Great workout day with four folks coming out for the evening circuit.

I know that we have quoted him before, but Dr. Seuss never really gets old:

"Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one."

Morning Weight Training: Legs
Dumbbell Squats
Dumbbell Lunges
Barbell Front Squats
GHD
Straight Leg Deadlifts
Bodyweight Calf Raises
Captains of Crush Grip Trainers

WOD: "Un-Chained Grashopper" (Each exercise for one minute to make a set. Three sets total.)
Dynamic Prisoner Step-Ups
Walking Lunges
GHD
Weighted Tire Step-Ups
Wall Sit
Abdominal Crunches
Kettle Bell Goblet Squats

Evening Weight Training:
Back Squats with heavy Chains

Have a Great Day!

Heavy Shoulders and Triceps

Today was another good long day at

work. 

We got up at 5 a.m. to do our morning routine before having to be at work at 8 a.m. I did a lot of running around, accomplishing many unrelated tasks but they all seemed important. Finally, at the end of the day after dinner we were able to fit in a heavy session of shoulder and triceps work.

Today's quote is from Vince Lombardi:

"The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand."

Morning Lifting Routine: Shoulder and Triceps

Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press

Lateral Dumbbell Raise

Alternating Front Dumbbell Raise

Diamond Triceps Push-Ups

Overhead Dumbbell Triceps Extension

Dumbbell Triceps Kickbacks

Evening Lifting Routine:

Heavy Barbell Shoulder Shrugs

Heavy Barbell Push Press (Personal best today!)

Barbell Skull Crushers

Have a Great Day!

Back and the "Quasimodo" WOD

We are getting ready to have our last course of the Spring season come through NOLS Southwest: The Medicine in the Wild course. The participants are third and fourth year medical school students that are interested in a wilderness medicine component to their education.

Today was a great lifting day for the back. We were able to get in a great morning lifting routine, a solid warm-up WOD for three of us that we are calling "Quasimodo" and then a heavy session of landmine rows and deadlifts. I think I should be able to go for a personal best on the deadlift next time it rolls around.

Today's quote is from Andre Agassi:

"I have been motivated by overcoming challenge and overcoming the hurdles and obstacles that face me. Their is still plenty out there to get motivated by."

Morning Lifting Routine: Back
Heavy Dumbbell Pullovers
Heavy Bent-Over One Arm Dumbbell Rows
Barbell Upright Rows
Wide Grip Weighted Pull-Ups
Captains of Crush Grip Trainers
TRX Rows

Afternoon Warm-Up WOD: "Quasimodo" (Each exercise is completed to make up one set. Three sets total. No rest between exercises or sets.)
20-Rogue Fitness SISU Warhammer Swings
5-Tire Flips
15-foot Rope Climb
60-Abdominal Crunches

Heavy Landmine Rows
Heavy Deadlifts

Have a Great Day!

Chest Arms and a New Shoe Review!

I worked a solid 14 hours yesterday so it became the "rest" day for this week. I drove back to Tucson from the Diamond Creek Trailhead in the Gila National Forest to get our NOLS Southwest Semester students back here for their graduation. What a great group of young folks who are heading out now to transfer the leadership skills they learned in the back country to their front country lives.

Today was also a busy day at work but we were able to slip in a heavy chest and arm workout after the day was done. It was a good session mostly because the two people I worked out with both put up personal bests on the bench press!

I also wanted to blog about a great new shoe that I purchased: The Merrell Trail Glove running shoe! I have had such a great week in these things that I ordered a second pair just in case Merrell does something foolish like discontinue them. The shoe is freakishly light at about 7 oz., has a wide comfortable toe box, is a true zero drop shoe and the sole is thin enough that it feels like I am wearing next to nothing. Another bonus compared to the Brooks PureConnect is that they do not allow sand to sift into them during sled drags in the wash. I did find that they ran about a half size large and I initially sent them back to get a smaller size. I will keep you posted on their durability.

Today's quote is from Duke Ellington and is for both Rebecca and Travis for their great lifts today!

"A problem is a chance for you to do your best."

Weight Training: Chest and Biceps
Heavy Bench Press
Weighted Dips
Flat Bench Dumbbell Press
Incline Dumbbell Press
Dumbbell Flies
Push-Ups
Captains of Crush Grip Trainers
Standing Dumbbell Curls
Concentration Dumbbell Curls

Have a Great Day!

Legs, Legs, Legs

Today I have to spend the afternoon and evening driving to meet our semester students for their ride
back to the NOLS Southwest base tomorrow. That is five hours on the road. On top of that we walked the dog, worked out, got our laundry done and we are making dinner for our friends who just had a baby girl... busy morning.

Today's quote is from John Lennon:

"Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans."

Weight Training: Legs
Dumbbell Box Squats
Dumbbell Lunges
Barbell Front Squats (new personal best there today!)
Straight Leg Deadlift
Glute/Hamstring Developer
Bodyweight Calf Raises

Circuit WOD: "Calaveras County" (Each exercise done for one minute to make a set. Three sets total. One minute rest between sets.)
Dynamic Step-Ups
Walking Lunges
Squats
Calf Raises
Abdominal Crunches
Crab Walk with Resistance Band
Box Jumps

Have a Great Day!

Shoulders and Triceps and a Quote from Alice Walker

We were able to get the NOLS Southwest Instructor Course out the door this morning on time. Tomorrow afternoon I head out and help to drive the NOLS Southwest Semester back from their last section in New Mexico. A shower, clean some gear and a cookout and they are on their way back home.

We lifted early this morning. This afternoon we had a great heavy rope warm up and then a good lifting session.

Today's quote is from Alice Walker:

"The most common way people give up their power is by thinking that they don't have any."

Morning Weight Training: Shoulders and Triceps
Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press
Lateral Dumbbell Raise
Alternating Front Dumbbell Raise
Diamond Triceps Push-Ups
Overhead Dumbbell Triceps Extensions
Dumbbell Triceps Kickbacks

Afternoon Training:
Warm-up:
Windmill Heavy Rope Whips, 1 minute
Abdominal Crunches, 1 minute
Alternating Front Heavy Rope Whips, 1 minute
Abdominal Crunches, 1 minute
Dual Heavy Rope Whips, 1 minute
Abdominal Crunches, 1 minute

Weight Training:
Heavy Barbell Shrugs
Heavy Barbell Push Press
Barbell Skull Crushers

Have a Great Day!

Heavy Back Day and Flying Time

For the past few days we have had participants at the base who will be heading out on the NOLS Southwest Instructor Course. These are 12 folks that are hoping, at the completion of their course that they will be offered work by the school. It has been a real pleasure to work with these folks while they have been here and tomorrow they will go to New Mexico on the backpacking section of their course.

Today was a bit weird because I seemed to be busy with a bit of work but also found time to watch both games of the Final Four?! I didn't squeeze in a circuit workout today but I did lift. I was also able to increase my weight in a few exercises which made me feel pretty good. Still, I don't know where the day went today.

Today's quote is from Charles Darwin:

"A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life."

Weight Training: Back
Dumbbell Pullovers
One Armed Bent Over Dumbbell Rows
Upright Barbell Rows
TRX Rows
Weighted Close Grip Pull-Ups
Landmine Rows
Deadlifts

Have a Great Day!

Chest, Biceps and Learning from Mistakes

Busy Friday at work that made us shift our morning lifting routine to the evening and eliminated the possibility of a circuit training. We did get in a good lifting session however.

The last time I benched I got cocky and tried to jump from 290 lbs. all the way up to 300 lbs. and got humbled when I couldn't complete one repetition without help. There is a model we use in experiential education to learn from our mistakes: "What? So What? Now What?" Here is how that model works in this situation:

What? I got smoked by trying to jump from 290 to 300 lbs.

So What? Maybe it is a better idea not to be so cocky and to try something more reasonable... I don't know... say 295 lbs.

Now What? Remembering the spanking that I took last time, I was more reasonable today. I was actually able to bench a personal best 295 lbs. without any help!

Today's quote comes from our NOLS founder, Paul Petzoldt:

"The ability to laugh at oneself and recognize ones own human weaknesses is a desirable quality of leadership."

Evening Weight Training Session: Chest and Biceps

Heavy Bench Press

Weighted Dips

Flat Bench Dumbbell Press

Incline Bench Dumbbell Press

Dumbbell Flies

Push-Ups

Standing Alternating Dumbbell Curls

Concentration Dumbbell Curls

Have a Great Day!

Legs and the "Quick and the Dead"

We had a solid leg day lifting followed by a great circuit training session that will forever be titled "The Quick and the Dead"! In celebration of the circuit training where we had to dig deep, today's quote is from Clint Eastwood's character Blondie from "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly":

"There are two types of people in this world, my friend: Those with loaded guns and those who dig. You dig."

Weight Training: Legs
Dumbbell Box Squats
Dumbbell Lunges
Barbell Front Squats (For a new personal best today!)
GHD
Straight Leg Deadlift
Bodyweight Calf Raises
Captains of Crush Grip Trainers

The WOD: "The Quick and the Dead" (Do each exercise in order for one set. Three sets total).
400m Run
40m Weighted Sled Drag (135 lbs.)
GHD (10 repetitions)
20m Weighted Walking Lunges
Pistol Squats (10 repetitions per leg)
20m Crabwalk with a Resistance Band
Abdominal Crunches (60 repetitions)

Have a Great Day!

Active Rest and the Importance of Documentation

Today is a day off from lifting. Time for the body to recover from a week of getting beat up: Lifting, jumping, sprinting, climbing. It takes a toll and it is important to give the body a day to recharge. Eat, hydrate and get ready for legs tomorrow!

I also wanted to share with you the importance of documenting workouts. Yes, I do that by writing this blog but I also keep a record that is much more detailed. The photo to the right is my notebook that I use (a 3-1/2"x 5-1/2"Field Notes Graph Paper Notebook) to keep track of the progress of my workouts.

For the most part, with weightlifting exercises I do three sets. I tend to do 10 repetitions on the first set, add weight and do 6-8 repetitions on the second set and then add more weight and do 2-4 repetitions on the last set. For bodyweight exercises I keep track of the number of repetitions I do (i.e. triceps diamond push-ups) and with others I keep track of the amount of weight I am adding to my bodyweight (i.e. weighted dips). A few exercises (i.e. bench press, deadlifts) I will often go for one maximum weight repetition.

I carefully write in the amount of weight used during my last set of weightlifting exercises, the total number of repetitions for bodyweight exercises or the final weight that I have added to weighted exercises. Using this little notebook and documenting my workouts has a few benefits: 1) This notebook is very small and fits easily in my gym bag. Writing down the information immediately after completing the exercise ensures its accuracy. 2) I can't remember anything. By writing it down I am able to remember the last weight I used. If the weight I used on my final set seemed too light or I feel that I could increase the number of repetitions, I will draw an arrow pointing up. This arrow indicates that the next time I do that exercise I should increase either the weight or the number of repetitions. 3) I am able to look at my progress easily over weeks, months, hell over the last couple of years. It is great for appreciating how far I have come and for looking ahead at future goals. 4) Finally, I am a firm believer that if it isn't written down, then it didn't happen!


Today's quote is from Albert Einstein:

"Paper is to write things down that we need to remember. Our brains are used to think."

Active Rest:
30-minute Medium Resistance Spin Bike Ride
100- Abdominal Crunches

Have a Great Day!

Shoulders, Triceps and Completing Things You Have Started

Our semester students are in the final week of their time here in the Southwest. They have been learning wilderness first aid, hiking, canoeing and rock climbing since January 19th! One week left of hiking on their own in the Gila Wilderness in New Mexico and then it is back to the "front country" life that they started from.

Today's quote is from Nelson Mandela and it is all about doing something like these students have done:

"It always seems impossible until it is done."

Weight Training: Shoulders and Triceps
Morning Session:
Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press
Alternating Front Dumbbell Raise
Lateral Dumbbell Raise
Diamond Triceps Push-Ups
Overhead Dumbbell Triceps Extensions
Dumbbell Triceps Kickbacks

Evening Session:
Warm-up (Each exercise done for one minute to make one set. Three sets total. No rest between sets)
Diamond Triceps Push-ups
Seated Wall Ball Toss
Heavy Rope Whips
Weight Training:
Heavy Barbell Shoulder Shrugs
Heavy Barbell Push Press
Barbell Skull Crushers

Have a Great Day!