140306

Haven't found the time to update blog recently but feeling better and better each week.

Been working with the biofeedback training with 2-3 week cycles for each exercise.  Not doing any heavy lifting with squats or deads.  Been doing heavy lifting with pulling and shouldering exercises, speed work with squatting and shouldering movements, and the rest is hypertrophy and strength endurance based efforts.

O2 trainer is improving, and I'm regularly doing sets on the top two resistance pieces.  Not yet to 4x12 at the top piece so I haven't used for any other exercise yet.

Did the open last week.  Dropped a round from three years ago, but was entirely without pre workout albuterol.  I've also had two 12 hour periods without the preventative meds with minimal and no breathing symptoms.

Muscle mass continues to grow further after three months of steady loss and I've had a record reading for left leg muscle mass since using the InBody in November.

All in all, going really well and looking forward to the rest of the open and training.

140224

Monday morning felt great.  ROM testing was solid, so decided to move Tuesday am to Monday PM.

o2 Trainer was 4x12 @ 13 and felt solid, a little mucous production at very end.

A. Back Sq - 175# - 10-4 reps for total 32 in 15:30 - Solid improvement of Intensity, volume, and density over last week
B. Sumo DL - 205# x 20
C. 1a DB Push Press - 60# x 27 Left, and 37 Right in 9:30 - Improvement on both sides of Volume and Density
D. Wide Grip, C2B Pull Up - 185# x 7, 4 for 11 in 2 minutes

140223

Breathing better each day - Still no pre-workout meds.  Been taking a preventative med 2x daily, and last night was first time I considered not taking it.  Doc says keep consistent with 2x/day for 2 weeks before I try titrating it, so I'll keep with that - Inclination to reduce was nice, however.

This was first day of second micro-cycle entirely following a personal combination of bio-feedback and west-side conjugate methods.  Split is currently 4 days/week with 3-4 exercises/day.  This has been a good start for me.

A. Continental Clean for Speed - 95# x 3; EMOM x 10/10 with no reduced ROM
B. Overhead Squat - 115# x 10, 7, 7, 5; Time was 10:15 and 3 minutes to recover from last set - This was a huge improvement over last week
C. 1a Overhead Carry - 55# x 120, 120m - Right was 9.5 minutes with 4 minutes recovery and Left was 10.5 minutes with 4 minutes recovery
D. 1a Sumo DL High Pull - 55# x 20/arm with no reduced ROM

140222

Breathing is better each day... Noticing quicker recovery from heavy breathing efforts and less heavy breathing from short weight lifting sets.

A. Speed back squats 95#x2 emom; 14/15 minutes - each set after four showed some small ROM immediately following sets.
B. 1a suitcase DL - 125# right x 16.13 in 7 min with >3 min recovery; left x 20 in 1:02 seconds.
C. BTN press - 105#x8.6.5 in 8.5 minutes with >3 min rest
D. Platform dip - 230# (Bw 186) x 6.4.4.4.2 in 15 minutes with >3 min rest at end

O2 trainer - 12x4 with 12

140221

Breathing steadily better - o2 trainer was 12x3 at 13 piece.  Anticipate being thru the 14 piece at rest and then will begin some work with it during workouts.

140220

Breathing better still -

A. Sdl high pull - built to 165#x2
B. Back each yoke @ 375# - 220m in sets of 48-16 - 17:30 total time
C. 1a waiters sq - 75# - 25 right and 19 left in 12:30
D. Log clean @ 135# - 29 reps in sets of 6-8 - 16:20

O2 trainer - 12x1. @12 and 12x2 @ 13

140219

Breathing felt great after yesterdays workout, good thu the night, and good this morning.

Took a rest day.

o2 Trainer - 12x12 @ 12, 8x1 and 6x1 at 13 - 12 piece was getting much easier.  13 is again a challenge moving up!

150218

Breathing is getting easier in the evenings.  Walk yesterday pm was much more doable than two days prior.

A. Back squat - 165#, 3-6 reps for 32 total - time was 16:30 total
B. 1 arm db push press - right was easier than left 13,11 and 8,9 respectively at 65#. Time was around 13 minutes for both sides combined
C. Sumo dead lift - 215#, 13 and 11 in 4:30, then 7 minutes to full recovery.

140217

O2 trainer - 12x2 at 12 - 12 is getting easier.

A. 1 arm db high pull - 45#x20, 50#x 18, 55#x 13 each arm - PR

140216

Yesterday evening the breathing was very challenged.  Didn't do the pm portion of the workout because it looked far beyond what I'm currently capable.  However, it's always darkest before the dawn.  At this point, I need to find what I'm currently capable of.  Here was the workout this am.

A. 15 sets of 2 for time - continental clean 95# - 20 minutes
B. Overhead squat - 115# - 8 reps and 8 minutes to recover
C. 1 arm overhead carry - 60#x80m right; 3:30 to recover and 80m left; 4 min to recover.

I feel like I have the ability to get intense but recovery is so slow.  Breathing is deep and into the belly... I think a slow volume build will be my way to go.

o2 Trainer - 12x4 at 12 mouth piece - tough but good - 11 felt negligible and like a warm-up

140215

AM
row 200m @90%
rest walk 90 sec
x6

rest walk 5 min

x2

314 seconds of work

338 seconds of work.  Second set slower... Went too fast for my breathing with this.  Running intervals like this make me feel fast and open and challenge the breathing.  On the rower today I felt stuffed into the seat, claustrophobic, and like I couldn't get a deep breath when I needed it.

This afternoon did the o2 trainer.  1 set of 12 breathes at 11, 1 set at 12, then back to 11 and did it in a full squat.  The squatted set was definitely tougher.  The 12 resistance was feeling easier.

The rowing was early afternoon as I had an in characteristically busy Saturday morning.  I'll do the strength work tomorrow am and then the hike.

140214

Took today as a rest day.  Did the o2 as a 5x3 at 11 resistance.  Didn't go for a walk as I felt that I needed to "rest" but I think that was a mistake.  By night time I felt very tight, and sleep was full but went to bed and woke up with a lot of anxiety.

This breathing being linked to anxiety is very interesting, as I'm having trouble telling which leads to which.  In the middle of it, I'm just anxious with negative self-talk and it's tough to breathe.  But I can't tell if the poor breathe leads to my anxiety, or if the anxiety makes my breathing poor.

140213

AM
200m run @90% due to weather did shuttle runs inside as 4x40m - this felt good, I could run quick but sti recover
rest walk 2 min

x4
rest walk 5 min
x3 9:06 (I think I messed up one of the rest periods), 8:42, 8:41

Did the o2 trainer 12x1 at 11 piece.  I'll go back to the four sets tomorrow.

PM
A. Sumo deadlift; 10 sets of 2 heavy; rest 2 min started 275# and built to 315# in 10# increments gradually.  9th set was 315x2 but last set could only get 1 rep, second burned out just above knee caps, which is where I lose a conventional lift near max efforts.
+
3 rounds for time: by the time I got here I could feel the fatigue in my ribs and recovery from each set piece was way slow. Fc were done in 25m sets, and breathing recovery involved some spastic exhales... A symptom common when I get very challenged with breathing.

First round was 15 minutes, second round was 20 minutes.  Third round I dropped the weight on fc to 115#, but third set finished around 60 minute total so called it there.  Nothing wrong with each movement, but the breathing recovery was just very challenged thru this.50m SA FW 145# L
50m SA FW 145# R
4 stone to shoulder 150#

140212

AM
30 min AD Z1 - did 15 minutes instead of 30 to make up for the extra row time yesterday

Worked o2 trainer 12x4 - first two were the 11 and felt easier than the first two days, and second two sets moved up to the 12 piece.  12 was definitely tougher, and I could feel the increased fatigue.
PM
yoga yoga was cancelled due to weather - got a nice hike, breathing was challenged and had to stop the walk a few times

Tough time in the night breathing while laying prone or on side, so sat up to breathe for about 40 minutes around 2am.  Anxiety kicks in during these sessions as well, but I did a good job breathing and sitting with it.  Not as bad or long as normal.  And this bout I could feel that I was able to breathe deeper into the belly than other times I've felt this type of issue.  Keeping meds dosage to .5 dose a day and nothing pre workout.

140211

AM - Did o2 Trainer at 630a.  3x8 @ piece 11 (same as yesterday), with last set as side bending to either side.  First set brought up mucous, second set did not, 3rd set while side bent left brought up more mucous.  Feels good so far.

AM
3k row Z1 just before 3k I imagined it was 30 minutes - so went another 15-20 minutes like a fool - 6225m

PM
A. SA OHS @4211; 10-12x2; rest 90 sec btw arms 45# x 11L, 11R rest 2 min, 12L rest 3 min, 12R recovery 4 minutes.
B. Back squat @30X1; 6-8x4; rest 3 min - 155# x 8, 8 rest 4:30, 7 rest 4:30, 6 - depth was great, first 3-4 reps felt awesome but things got tricky after that and recovery continued to increase, felt good after it.
+
For time: 22:23 - thrusters were very deep, and done as squat clean singles, bmu were singles as well, breathing was a challenge
9-6-3
thruster 155#
bar muscle-up

140210

Today, the O2 Trainer came in the mail.  This is a mouthpiece that slows in incoming air, making your inspiration muscles work harder.  In the texts I've been reading on breathing, most commonly the inspiration muscles get weak relative to the expiration muscles and this imbalance adds to poor breathing mechanics.  I'm going to be experimenting with this in an attempt to aid my progress.

Day 1 was 4 sets of 12 powerful inspirations at the 4mm piece.  Challenging, the first couple sets brought up some crazy deep mucous, and I felt great for about an hour afterwards.

Here's the website - http://www.o2trainer.com/

140209

AM
200m run @90%
rest walk 2 min
x5
rest walk 5 min
x2 11:51, 11:40 - about three minutes to recover range following last run

PM
A. Single arm OHS - build to a 3rm per arm 75# x 2 left and 4 right - got very deep for these
B. Single arm Farmer's Walk - build to a max of 30-50m per arm (record distance) 185# x 50m each - took six minutes to recover range on right and 9 minutes on left.
C. FLR on rings - accumulate 5 min for time (hips high, glutes active, chin tucked, shoulders protracted, rings externally rotated) 9:49 - sets of 95s, 60s, then many sets of 30-45s

140208

AM
5k row for time 22:25 - a solid challenge for the breathers.  Interesting pacing and stroke rate changes.  

1k - 2:09 - 22 s/m
2k - 2:15 - 20
3k - 2:23 - 18
4k - 2:15 - 19
5k - 2:08 - 18
PM
A. Front rack yoke carry - build to a 10m max 385# - 415# wouldn't go anywhere - this is about 65% of back rack - goal around 70%
B. Continental clean and jerk - build to a max 215# - got 235# on clean, but couldn't recover enough for the jerk.
C1. Close grip upright row @3010 8rm 115
C2. Behind the neck press @3010 8rm 115 

140206

AM
1 mile run for time 8:41 - ran 200m loop, then two laps around the gym.  Along hill in back side of second loop breathing coordination got heavily challenged, and diaphragm was losing rhythm.  I can feel it spasm or quiver as I try to reach a full breathe in or out, I start feeling like I need partial breaths.  Felt this a bit in Helen as well, but for this one was able to keep running.  Legs felt strong the whole way.

PM
A. Back rack yoke walk - build to a 10m max 585#, 635# was 3m and ground to a halt
B. Deadlift - build to a tough single sumo dead lift with double overhand was 315# - 345# wouldn't budge.
C. Power clean 3-3-3; rest 2 min 195#, comfortable
D. max L-sit 20 seconds on boxes

140205

AM
30 min AD Z1 355 calories

PM
yoga good