Zen and the lifting of heavy things.

Shoulder raises: db, 2×8 @ 44.

Rows: db, 2×8 @ 76.

DB lunges: db, 2×8 @ 74.

DB squats: db, 3×8 @ 108.

Kettlebell lift: single db, 20@54.

Crunches: 50/50.

Maintenance, except the rows, and adding weight there compromised my form. To be honest, I probably could add weight here and there, but I grow weary of this routine. Next week I’ll get Ji around to give me a new one.

jai.

30/22/22/20/30 == 124 pushups and on to week 5.

But I think I’m going to take a week off. Week 4 has been a lot easier than week 3, and I think there are 2 factors.

1) Pushups in the morning. That’s what I expected, I’m fresher just after I get up than after a full day at work.

2) Doing less. On Thursday, I did wednesday night’s pushups instead of lifting. Yesterday, no boot camp. So I might have been pushing it a bit hard. I’ve always said it’s about the long term, and numbers aren’t as important as doing the work, but at some point doing too much is counter-productive. So I’m going to stop the pushups for a week, but continue boot camp and lifting, and try to shuffle things so that I can do everything. It may mean losing a rest day, but that’s ok, for the 2 weeks left on this program.

124 pushups. Nifty.

jai.

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27/21/21/18/27 == 114 pushups.

Making it. Goddess it’s hard, though. The beers last night probably didn’t help, but doing the pushups first thing in the morning seems to. I shouldn’t be surprised that it is hard, but I’d expected each week to be slightly harder than the one before, not a quantum fucking leap.

Mind you, it looks like I might make week 4 first go, and it did take 3 weeks to make week 3. So I guess it is getting easier.

jai.

Maintenance, really. Same same. Time to change the routine up a little.

Shoulder raises: db, 8/7 @ 44.

Rows: db, 2×8 @ 66.

DB lunges: db, 2×8 @ 74.

DB squats: db, 3×8 @ 108.

Kettlebell lift: single db, 20@54.

Crunches: 50/50.

Oh look, more crunches Last week on this program, next week all change again.

jai.

27/20/20/17/27 == 111 pushups. Yes, that’s less that the 121 I did last week, but the program is designed that way – rests between sets were 60 seconds today instead of 120 seconds.

Made it through week 4 day 1, just. A couple of 5 second rest stops with one knee on the ground in the final set, but hey, good enough.

Also, today I bought some more weight plates and some protein powder, so this week should be interesting….

jai.

2 steps forward, 1 step back. Down on some things, steady on others. Lack of focus, I suspect.

Shoulder raises: db, 8/7 @ 44.

Rows: db, 2×8 @ 66. I’d forgotten I went up to 71, even with my log in front of me. Did I mention lack of focus?

DB lunges: db, 2×8 @ 74.

DB squats: db, 3×8 @ 108.

Kettlebell lift: single db, 20@54.

Crunches: 50/35.

Too many rest days? Too many pushups? I dunno. Lack of focus, I’m inclined to think, but then that’s handy excuse for everything.

jai.

30/22/22/20/27 == 121 pushups.

And that’s about all I have to say on that. Week 4 here we come. For another 4 weeks ….

jai.

Wherein I actually make some.

Shoulder raises: db, 2×8 @ 44. Only fucking just, but that’s good enough for me. Awesome.

Rows: db, 2×8 @ 71. +5 lb.

DB lunges: db, 2×8 @ 74. Up 20 lb, down a set, because lunges bore the shit out of me.

DB squats: db, 3×8 @ 108. I need to go buy more plates – I’ve maxed out the dumbells here, and I really should be doing 2×8 @150something.

Kettlebell lift: single db, 25@54.

Crunches: 50/35.

So after a weekend off, almost everything is up. I think there’s a lesson in that….

jai.
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27/17/17/15/25 == 101 pushups.

Booyah. Not lifting the day before definitely helps. Tho looking back at the plan, it should have been 19/19. But fuck it, +20 from bootcamp. It counts
jai.

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25/17/17/15/25 == 99.

Ninety-nine fucking pushups.  Still. I passed week 3 day 1! Even if it is week 5.

Of course, I haven’t actually exercised since Friday, which has helped. Every now and then you just need a weekend drinking.

jai.

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