The Start

Welcome to the start of the ramblings and ideas of a Mid-Life "Athlete".  Webster's defines athlete as a person who is trained or skilled in exercises, sports, or games requiring physical strength, agility, or stamina.  Not quite sure this is a valid description of who I am, as I there are many who I look at as athletes, and I am not them, nor can I do what they do, so does that make me an athlete?  I do consider myself athletic, partake in athletic events of sorts, train for those endeavors (kind of, I mainly train for overall health, fitness, and well being, and with that comes the training I need for any physical endeavors I may partake in), however, how skilled I am at them, is in the eye of the beholder. 


Is being skilled in exercise really a valid classification of an athlete?  Does one have to compete in an exercise to be considered an athlete, or just do exercise?  I used to play sports, however, I was not very good, so would not consider myself an athlete when I played.  Anyways, I am going to write as much interesting stuff as I go forward as I can.  Usually it will be on a whim of what may be fancying me at the moment, but I will also use the time to discuss important issues in conditioning, health, fitness and well-being, including nutrition as it pertains to the mid-life athlete, or common exerciser.  As I approach, who am I kidding, I have already approached mid-life, I find that the demands of health and exercise vary slightly from what someone 5 or 10, or 15 years younger, can withstand.  What is healthy or important for someone in their 20's changes as we get older.  Hormones change, needs of the body change, and there is carry over to how we should exercise, eat, sleep, etc.  So hopefully I will use this space in the coming weeks, months, etc. to enlighten myself, and possibly enlighten someone who has so much time on their hands they are actually reading this.  
To start, I am going to just journal my workouts for the past 10 days, as I have started an experimental regimen, and curious as to what the results will be in 8-10 weeks.  I should have taken some before pictures, or measurements, or some baseline test, but just going to go by how I consider myself looking, feeling and performing.  Not quite sure what my goals are.  Basically, looking to focus on body awareness, strength, power development, some hypertrophy and maintaining some resemblance of cardiovascular stamina, while trying to be stay lean, and potentially compete in a 100% Raw Powerlifting Meet in March.  To accomplish this, all the while maintaining my overall health, and getting all my workouts in under 50 minutes!
I decided on a four lift rotation.  Any lift within the class could be my cup of tea for the day, basically whatever I feel like.  Coupled with this is a metabolic session of three rotation.

Here are the first 9 days.  I will add thoughts to why I am doing what I am doing and reasons for them at a later date.  
Day 2 (Hinge, Complex)
Day 3 Rest
Day 4 (Press/Pull, Metabolic Conditioning)
Day 5 (Hinge, Sprints)
Day 6 Rest
Day 7 (Squats, COmplex)
Day 8 (Hinge, Metabolic Conditioning)
Day 9 Rest (December 4, 2012)

Lifts will be Squat (Back and Front rotating), Hinge Movement, Press/Pull, and Hinge.  My conditioning sessions will rotate between Sprints of some kind, a Barbell or Dumbbell Complex, and a longer sustained metabolic conditioning session of 10-20 minutes.  

Day 1 (Squat, SPrint) (November 26, 2012)
Warm up with 5x30-45 sec Handstand Holds
Frog Stand- accumulated 60 sec
Squats 5 sets of 8 (225,235,235,235,235,235)
One Legged KB Romanian Deadlifts (3 sets 12 @ 24 kg KB)
Sprints- 8 x 40 yard
4 corner agility drill, 3x each side

Day 2 Warm up with 5x30-45 sec Handstand Holds
Frog Stand- accumulated 60 sec
Hang Power Snatch- Every Minute on Minute 2 reps @ 115 for 10 minutes
BB COmplex @ 65, 75, 85, 95
8 reps at each exercise of 
Power Snatch, Overhead Squat, Snatch Grip Push Press, Good Morning, Snatch Grip Push Press

Day 3 Rest

Day 4 Warm up with 5x30-45 sec Handstand Holds
Frog Stand- accumulated 60 sec
1a.) Bench Press- 4 sets of 8 @ 185 rest 60 sec 
1b.) Bent Over Double KB Row with 24kg- 4 sets of 8
3 rounds for time of a partner wod
Partner 1 Row for Meters
Partner 2 Run 200 M, 10 Slam Balls @ 40#, 10 Ring Dips

Day 5 Warm up with 5x30-45 sec Handstand Holds
Frog Stand- accumulated 60 sec
Power Clean- EMOTM @ 155 x 2 reps for 12 minutes
5 x 100 M Sprints. Walk Back is rest

Day 6 rest

Day 7 Warm up with 5x30-45 sec Handstand Holds
Frog Stand- accumulated 60 sec
Front Squats- EMOTM x 10 min; 2 reps @ 215 (~70% of 1RM)
BB COmplex- 65,75,85,95,105
6 reps at each movement of 
Rotational Deadlift (3L and 3R), Bent Over Row, Hang Power Clean, Thruster, Back Squat, Good Morning

Day 8 Warm up with 5x30-45 sec Handstand Holds
Frog Stand- accumulated 60 sec
Deadlifts- EMOTM x 8 min, 3 reps @ 335 (~67% of max)
Petranak Baseline (Row 500M, 40 squats, 30 sit ups, 20 push ups, 10 Dead-hang pull ups)
Rest 2 Min
Repeat.
Wind and fatigue make Dead-hang Pull ups tough.  5:02 first one, 6:31 second 

Day 9 Rest