Morgan's Grip Log

[maidenfan]

12/23/09

Lots of conditioning tonight - 30 sec on, 30 sec off with all sorts of stuff - weights, calesthenics, etc.

Jump rope

Neck bridging

Max set of pullups and chins

A buddy at work and I have started sparring (wrestling and boxing) 2-3 times a week now. He's really out of shape and doesnt know a whole lot about self-motivation and training so I've taken on that role. It's just what I needed as I've been in a rut for a few weeks now.

[maidenfan]

12/26/09

5 mins jump rope

2 x 3 min boxing rounds (still feeling each other out while I wait for my good gloves and headgear to arrive - good warm-up)

1 x 3 min & 1 x 2 min wrestling rounds (all out, no shots pulled - start standing greco style - finish on the ground - mega gassed - more of this)

5 x 30 sec running hill intervals on the treadmill

calesthenics

Tonights workout was excellent - period. Both myself and my partner are inexperienced boxers and in my case, an inexperienced wrestler too. My buddy was a high school wrestler, but I'm stronger and in better shape, so it evens us out a bit. Awesome workout - I know the weight is going to melt off me if I continue this. I'm shifting my resistance training to more "complex" style workouts and going to cont. w/the calesthenics and wrestling style drills.

[maidenfan]

12/27/09

265 this morning

Was pretty sore and stiff from yesterdays wrestling. I havent swam in over a month so I hit the pool today

25m & 50m intervals

Tread water intervals x 5 mins (30 secs w/a 10lb rubber brick/30 sec without) - suprisingly hard

The aquatic center where I swim also has a 30' climbing wall with a cool cable harness system. Its only $4.00 to climb all day so I think I'll try that once a week or so.

MoD: large green salad w/avocado, onions, tomato & almonds (olive oil & vinegar dressing) w/marinated carne asada & a glass of red wine.

[honk]

It's awesome that you've got a motivated training partner.

[maidenfan]

It's awesome that you've got a motivated training partner.

Makes all the difference in the world (IMO, the most important thing in making quality gains)

[maidenfan]

12/29/09

5 mins jump rope/stretching/foam rolling warm-up

4 x 30 sec hill intervals on the treadmill (start at lvl 10 @ 7.5mph, finish at lvl 13 @ 7.5 mph)

more jump rope, foam rolling and stretching w/buddy when he arrived

Bunch of ab drills (medicine ball situps, pound the abs w/a medicine ball & stand on your buddies stomach for time - all off the Team Quest conditioning video)

"Return to the Mat" drill - start w/your buddy in a hands and knees traditional wrestling stance. You then wrap his waist and grab one wrist. He then attempts to stand up - once he does, you gut wrench him off the ground then hip toss him back to his hands and knees - switch sides and repeat. Wow - badass, way better than sandbags!

1 x 3 min & 2 x 2 min rounds of "hard as you can go" wrestling

Lots of neck bridging

Some handstand work and a few pullups.

The "return to the mat" drills were awesomely hard (best way I can describe them) - having a "live sandbag" is soooooo much better! My workout partner is the same weight as me, but a higher bodyfat percentage and much less flexible. He has some wrestling skills and I dont, so we're pretty even. The wrestling is so far beyond any sort of intense workout I've done in the past - you get done really feeling you accomplished something. These workout have really inspired me again and is just what I needed to get going. My partner is just getting into the workout scene and its fun passing on the knowledge I've learned over the years. Anyway, awesome workout!

[maidenfan]

12/30/09

BW - 264

Active rest day

Skip rope x 4 mins, hip & shoulder mobility, 3 x 30 sec treadmill intervals

Boxing skills - foot work and movement drills

Light 1 arm KB swings while standing on 12" blocks - full squat ea rep - really gets the blood going to the legs

What I ate today:

11:00am - 16oz coffee w/skim milk & splenda

12:30pm - Large plate of broccoli, 3 whole eggs & a liter of water

4:30pm - Small apple, 2 sticks of celery (1 w/natural p.butter), handful of raw walnuts & a liter of water

7:45pm - Veggie Plate (tomatoes, avocado, radish, raw almonds, green olives & a slice of liverworst), large bowl and a half of last nights veggie/chicken/bean soup, frozen blueberries for dessert

[maidenfan]

12/31/09

Good warmup w/hip/ham & shoulder mobility/stretching, skip rope, neck bridge, etc

Handstand/walking and a few pullups

Boxing - 2 x 4 mins rounds

Wrestling - 2 x 4 min rounds

2 x 30 sec intervals of jumping squats and bear walking

Had a third guy tonight so we did 1 x 2 min round then rotated a fresh guy in for your second 2 mins - repeat w/wrestling. The boxing is a blast and I can tell I'm starting to get my footwork and timing down. I finally got my headgear so we can start throwing some combos too. The wrestling is definately where I'm getting my workout though.

What I ate today:

11:00am - 16oz coffee w/skim milk & splenda

1:15pm - veggie/fruit plate (pear, tomato, green olives, radish & raw almonds), 2 eggs/2 whites

4:15pm - small apple & some green olives, 1 liter water

6:20pm - small pear, 2 tbsp natural peanut butter, 1 liter water

10:00pm - Huge green salad w/avocado, radish, onion, tomato, green olives, almonds, etc. Large bowl of bean/chicken/veggie soup w/blueberries for dessert. Glass of red wine to wash it down.

[maidenfan]

01/04/09

Took 3 days off - seems like I need to take a week or more off to feel really fresh. A few days just seems to make me stiff and sore. The rest was needed though.

Decent warmup - hand walking, hip and shoulder stretching, jumping squats, neck bridging, etc

3 x 3 min boxing rounds (1 min rest between rounds)

2 x 3 min wrestling rounds (1 min rest)

Some calesthenics - bear walking, handstands, pullups, chins

Some ab work - medicine ball situps & leg raises

2 x 30 sec treadmill sprinting intervals

More neck bridging

Good workout - pretty much non stop, no rest (20 sec or less) after the boxing and wrestling. Boxing and wrestling is coming along great. We're starting to throw some combos now and taking some good shots - we just want to take is a tad slow so we dont hurt each other.

[maidenfan]

01/05/10

Good warmup - hip/ham/shoulder stretching, neck bridging, jump rope, handstands

4 x 3 min rounds of boxing

1 x 3 min & 1 x 2 min rounds of wrestling

Couple of sandbag circuits - zercher squat/fast walk 30 feet/zercher squat - 140lb bag

3 x 30 sec treadmill sprint intervals

Leg raises

Starting to throw some combos now, so the boxing is getting pretty fun - giving and taking some good shots now. Gave my partner a bloody nose tonight w/an accidental headbut. My shoulders are getting really sore so we're probably going to have to alternate the boxing and lifting days. Good workout tonight - lots of fun.

[maidenfan]

01/06/10

Good warm-up - skip rope, hip/ham/shoulder mobility work, neck bridging & headstands, shadow boxing

5 x 2 min wrestling rounds - 1 min rest

200lb Sandbag circuit x 3 rounds - (clean, bearhug squat, 40' carry, bearhug squat, partner goes, repeat)

3 x 30 second sprint intervals on the treadmill

The wrestling really kicks my ass, but it makes my body feel really strong at the same time. I had a buddy make me a custom sandbag - 30" x 50" open bag made out of 1000 cordura, edges folded and quad stitched - mega bombproof. The only problem is the cordura is very slick and when you're sweaty is makes lifting a real challenge.

[maidenfan]

1/8/10

Fast warmup - hip mobility circuit, shoulder dislocates, headstand/4way movement (pretty sweet as I can do no hands headstands on the wall for over a minute now)

4 x 4 min boxing rounds (1 min rest)

1 x 5 min & 1 x 3.5 min wrestling rounds (1 min rest)

4 x 30 sec treadmill hill sprint intervals

Boxing was lots of fun tonight - strapped on shin guards and started adding some kicks. My partner wont have his for a while so I was the only person kicking tonight - made it a lot easier for me as he had much more to worry about I've never done a 5 min wrestling round before - kicked my ass. It didnt help that I spent most of the round on my back and against the wall trying to fight my way out. Its quite a feeling to be out of gas and have a 265lb dude on top of you neck cranking and choking you - brings out the best of me - this is the most fun I've had working out in the 28 years I've been hitting the gym.

[maidenfan]

01/10/10

5 x 30' climbs up the swim centers rock wall (1-2 mins between climbs)

Swimming sprints - 2 x 50m & 500m of 25m sprints (30 sec rest between intervals)

Climbing the wall was a blast - my hands started to get a little sore so I didnt do too many climbs. The wall has multiple routes, but I mainly stuck to the easier ones. I tried the hard one once but wasnt paying attention to where I was going and climbed myself to a dead-end (no easy grabs = dead-end for Morgan). I've never climbed a wall before and the hydraulic cable system allows you to just jump off and float to the ground - very cool. Plus, they only charge me $4 for an all day climb, which is pretty decent I guess.

Swim Center Rock Wall

[maidenfan]

01/12/10

45 mins of shoulder and hip mobility work

Skip rope/neck bridging/shadow boxing circuit x 16 mins - no rest

The mobility work really makes me feel good

[maidenfan]

01/13/10

More mobility and neck work

20 mins spinning bike

Treadmill sprinting intervals - started at lvl 10 @ 7.5 mph (3 x 30on/30off) then worked my way up to lvl 10 @ 9.0 mph (1 x 20on/done)

[maidenfan]

01/14/10

Warm-up - Stretching & joint work - light neck work w/a band

Was showing a buddy how I workout so we did a little bit of everything - KB's, BB complexes, sandbag conditioning, bridging, monkey bars, tabata & treadmill intervals

[maidenfan]

01/18/10

Did some river swimming today - did a section with 4' standing waves w/a 6000 cfs flow - water was 40 degrees, but loads of fun.

Short warm-up

4 x 3 min boxing rounds (45 sec rest between rounds)

Treadmill hill sprint intervals - started at lvl 10 @ 8.0 mph for 30s intervals, finished at lvl 12 @ 11 mph for 1 x 15 sec interval

Good workout - glad my workout partner is back - we can start boxing and wrestling again.

[maidenfan]

01/19/10

Good warm-up w/lots of joint mobilty/stretching & a few mins on the spinning bike.

Lots of calf jumps and bodyweight squat jumps

Neck work w/a jumpstretch band

A few handstands/walk on hands & pullups

4 x 3 min boxing rounds (45 sec rest between rounds)

2 x 3 min wrestling rounds

Treadmill hill sprint intervals - started at lvl 11 @ 8mph 30s on/30s off - finished at lvl 11 @ 10mph for 15 sec

We gassed pretty quick w/the boxing and wrestling, but I think 15 sec less rest and the fact we've been picking up the pace as we improve is the reason why. I can tell that the weight is going to really come off if I continue workout out like this.

[maidenfan]

01/20/10

BW - 265 (thought I'd be lighter, but oh well - I sure feel lighter)

Good warm-up (joint work, stretching, neck work, calf & bodweight squat jumps, etc)

3 x 3 min boxing rounds (45 sec rest between rounds)

3 man wrestling (go 2 mins then a fresh guy comes in for the second 2 mins) - 1 x 4 min round & 1 x 2 min round - these were tough!

Treadmill hill sprint intervals - started at lvl 12 @ 8mph - finished at lvl 12 @ 9.5mph

Great workout tonight - getting a fresh guy for two more minutes after already doing two minutes is brutal.

[maidenfan]

01/23/10

Good warm-up (stretching, handstands, jumps, pullups, neck work)

5 x 3 min boxing rounds (45 sec rest) - didnt pick it up until the last couple of rounds

4 x 2 min wrestling rounds (1 min rest) - hard - the wrestling always gets me - fun though

Treadmill hill sprint intervals - started at lvl 15 @ 7.5mph for 30 sec, finished at lvl 15 @ 8.5mph for 15 sec - short and hard tonight

My body feels "worked" tonight - we spend a lot of time in the clinch, so my upperbody (arms, back and neck) feel it. It sometimes really frustrates me not knowing what to do as I've never wrestled competitively, but its coming along real nicely as I can tell pretty good whats coming and can at least prevent it or stall my partner out. We're the same weight, but I'm in better condition and stronger, which only stalls the eventual wrap up.

[maidenfan]

01/25/10

At work - Tabata interval w/dock rowing - good exercise

Good warm-up/stretching

3 man boxing (2 min round then you get a fresh guy for 2 more mins) - 2 x 4 min rounds (2 min rest between rounds)

3 man wrestling (s/a above) - 2 x 4 min wrestling rounds (2 mins rest)

Treadmill hill sprint intervals - lvl 15 - started at 8.0 mph for 30 sec, finished at 9.0 mph for 15 - 4 rounds

I need to add some aerobic activity back into my routine.

[maidenfan]

01/27/10

Good warm-up (stretching, joint mobility, neck bridging, etc)

5 x 3 min boxing rounds (30 sec rest between rounds)

4 x 2 min wrestling rounds (45 sec rest)

Treadmill hill sprint intervals - Lvl 10 - started at 8mph for 30s intervals, finished at 11mph for a 20s interval (8 intervals total)

Good workout tonight. I'm getting a lot more comfortable with the boxing (standing closer, better blocks, slips & less flinching when punches are thrown at me). My wrestling game is improving in the fact that I can recognize when I'm being set-up and do a lot better job defending.

[lifesnotfair]

Morgan, nice workouts!

I see you do some Tabata stuff, and also some sprint or hill sprint work, but never combine the two. Let me tell you, if you have not tried it, you must, it's one of the most HORRIBLE things ever - you'd love it. In fact, it's so horrible, I would suggest doing Tabata sprints with inverted intervals... that is: max effort sprint for 10s, rest 20s ... repeat a total of 8 times. If you ever do this I'd like to hear how it went. Do it on the ground though, no treadmill for this!! Heh. If you don't have a tabata timer or something you may need someone to yell "go" or "stop" at you. Another way to do it that I used in the past is to max effort sprint 100m, then walk 100m, repeat a total of 8 times. The only problem is that as the rounds go, you'll be doing the walking part slower and slower to try and have more recovery time, heh. But it's BRUTAL. It's an awful feeling in the last rounds, when you try to run at max speed yet you think "what is going on? a 2 year old would beat me right now!". If you go all out, really all out, this can make a 20 rep squat set seem not too awful, honestly.

[maidenfan]

Morgan, nice workouts!

I see you do some Tabata stuff, and also some sprint or hill sprint work, but never combine the two. Let me tell you, if you have not tried it, you must, it's one of the most HORRIBLE things ever - you'd love it. In fact, it's so horrible, I would suggest doing Tabata sprints with inverted intervals... that is: max effort sprint for 10s, rest 20s ... repeat a total of 8 times. If you ever do this I'd like to hear how it went. Do it on the ground though, no treadmill for this!! Heh. If you don't have a tabata timer or something you may need someone to yell "go" or "stop" at you. Another way to do it that I used in the past is to max effort sprint 100m, then walk 100m, repeat a total of 8 times. The only problem is that as the rounds go, you'll be doing the walking part slower and slower to try and have more recovery time, heh. But it's BRUTAL. It's an awful feeling in the last rounds, when you try to run at max speed yet you think "what is going on? a 2 year old would beat me right now!". If you go all out, really all out, this can make a 20 rep squat set seem not too awful, honestly.

I have and use a "GYMBOSS" timer daily - use it for our boxing and wrestling all the time - great tool for $20. I'll give the hill intervals a shot w/tabata - sounds brutal.

01/29/10

01/29/10

Decent warm-up

5 x 3 min boxing rounds (45 sec rest)

1 x 3 min light boxing round (stand in range whole round and practice defending shots)

4 x 2:30 min wrestling rounds (45 sec rest)

Did pretty good wrestling tonight. My buddy rolled me up on my neck the wrong way and it popped all the way down my spine and sorta tweaked some muscles - probably will be sore for a few days. I now realize why I've done so much neck training - really saved my bacon tonight. Get training your neck - it'll save your ass one day.

[maidenfan]

02/02/10

Good warm-up

3 man kickboxing (4 mins rounds - fresh guy at 2 mins) - 2 x 4 min & 1 x 2 min (2 min rest)

Double KB Thrusters - 24's x 50 in ~5 mins (tuff)

Treadmill hill running intervals - started at lvl 5 @ 8mph for 2 x 45 sec intervals (30s rest), worked my way up to lvl 13 @ 9.5mph for 15 sec intervals (30 rest)