Friday, March 30, 2012

Sunday to Friday march 30

Just to keep every one informed, I am doing as much training as my work will allow these days.

Which, I have to admit, isnt much these days. Im into my crappy part of my year and working a night schift twice a week on top of that. I started this blog with the statement that if I needed more money, I d get another job.

I was working on that, too. Im being kind of left out of the loop by tpaout, which I can understand as a business decision, but not otherwise. Why advertise for wrestling coaches then not hire them?

Meh, it is all good. Im still considering paying to go there, man. I wonder if theyd be bitter at me if I was a paying customer.

Ok, im doing this on my boss' dime. Got to go.

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Friday and Sat March 25

Friday I did two workouts, and did the same thing on Saturday.

Friday I felt like crap, too. Got into my gym and a lot hurt, especially my pride, after just an awful rugby training session Thursday night. I dunno. Bunch of whiny people that just got on my nerves, man. Meh, I left before it got worse.

I did this in Friday for five rounds:

20 rh swings - 40 lb bell used throughout
20 lh swings
20 cleans each side
20 two handed swings

20 feet up push ups
20 seated knee tucks
10 hanging knee tucks

Felt good. Ate the usual combo of almonds, tun water and pizza for a firday. At tthe end of it all, did a 4.5 k run.

Saturday, did this for five rounds:

20 kb swings (Used either the 20 kilo or the 40 lb bell, depending on round and children's proximity)
10 good mornings with 12 kilo bell behind the neck
2 rope pull ups from seated to standing and back down, arms only
20 seated knee tucks
10 hanging knee tucks
20 push ups

After that, had lunch, then went for a lengthy swim with my wife's parents and my children. Kinda fun, to be honest. Kids got a real kick out of it. Got home, had pasta for dinner with a slice of left over pizza.

When everyone was asleep, got a 4.6 k run in. Rather fast one, too. Had to stretch and take an anti-histamine, too. Damn spring is in the air.

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Thursday March 22


OK, that was weird. I just uploaded a pic and nothign happened. Ok, there it is.

Anyway, I did this for five rounds this morning:

20 KB two handed swings
5 chin ups
20 BW squats
20 push ups - wider hand positioning
20 hanging knee tucks
10 bicep curls
10 tricep extensions

I wanted to some thing light today. I did also set up the camera to take pics of this workout. I'll get one of the decent ones up ASAP.

I ate this today;

Breakfast : roast beef and 2 scrambled eggs, water then coffee to drink

Lunch: Tuna, almonds and vegetables (carrots, peppers, water to drink.

Snack: almonds and water

Dinner: BBQ burgers; lots of vegetables on top and beside, too. Water to drink.

After dinner, did a rugby training session. No hands, man. And lots of people all over me for not having good ones the first night out, man.

Wednesday March 21

Nope, didn't work out today. Really sore, man. And busy. "Recovery Day".

Ate ok -

Breakfast : eggs and chicken breast

Lunch: vegetables, almonds and water. Pizza slice, too.

Snack: almonds

Dinner: roast beef and asparagus. Water to drink

After second shift I had a few glasses of OJ and whit the sack. I was done.

If this had been last week, I might have made the mistake to go for a run at 9:45pm, but as it was, I was in bed by 10:30. There was nothing left in tthe tank, man.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Tuesday March 20

I trained twice today, just like last week. Except today was out of habit, not out of some perceived need. Strange. I used to think other things were necessities: Cool Ranch Doritos and Coke. Hmmm...

In any case, I this for five rounds this morning:

20 kb swings 40 pound bell used
20 feet up push ups
20 seated knee tucks
10 hanging knee tucks
20 BW squats

While at work, some other group was having some sort of a training day. Half the people they were expecting cancelled out on them, so they brought all these freshly cut up vegetables into my lunch room. Lunch for the week! Woot!

After work, I went for a nice walk with my kids, played a little with them and then they wanted me to set up and do a work out with them, too. I really just stretched. But, that was awesome. Gave my wife a chance to nap a bit, too.

After dinner, waited a few hours to get the kids in bed, then did a 5k run.

Ate this:

breakfast: chicken and eggs. Water to drink

Lunch: tuna, green pepper and almonds. Water to drink.

Dinner: homemade pizza with chicken and spicy goo. Water and OJ to drink.

Not a bad day, I must say. Still feeling sticky, though.

Monday March 19

This is the day after.

There's a story that they day after Dan Gable won the Olympics in Montreal, his teammates couldn't find him when they went looking for him for breakfast. He'd gone out on a training run.

I can't say that I had the time for a training run Monday, but I did get this done for five rounds:

20 BW squats
20 feet up push ups
20 hanging knee tucks
20 KB swings - 12 kilo bell used.

Nothing fancy, nothing overly demanding, as I am pretty sore. But I got a workout in.

I also ate well:

Breakfast: eggs and chicken breast. Water then coffee to drink.

Lunch: tuna, almonds and green peppers. Water to drink

Dinner: stir fry vegetables and chicken over rice. Lots of spicy goo, too. Water to drink.

I was freaking busy though, today. Kids, getting stuff to the bank, library and other stuff everywhere. I had to get my work done and then get a second shift done, too. I'm thinking this is ok, man. Everything is all right.

I'm moving forward.

Sunday, March 18, 2012

I did it! 2012 Nationals wrap up and reflection.


I made it to Nationals. I sucked the biggest suck of all, sucking a huge amount of suckiness out of a giant bag of suckiness, but I did what I set out to do.

I think I once said that I wasn't worried about the technical side of this; well, I should have been. I had loads of fitness, nice levels of recovery. I wasn't out of breath or felt horribly overpowered at all. What I felt was out gunned. The people I was wrestling just had more recent and relevant experience than I did. I was winning the match for third and I lost, placing forth overall. I'm not pleased with the result, but I am pleased with the fact that I got out there and participated.

I did not like how some in the crowd made idiotic comments about my age and participating. I know I'm 41, almost double the age of some of my opponents. But I got to tell you there were a lot of fat, out of shape 40 year old coaches I saw on the weekend. So ... I'm not thin, not yet anyways, but I'm fitter and having more fun than they are. My resting heart rate was 52 the other day. I lost 40 pounds this winter. My pants nearly fall off of me now. I got a message from an old wrestling buddy that he was jealous of my going to wrestle the Nationals. I look and feel better and I'm full of "pep". Who's the winner here?

Meh, I do hate how I look in this singlet:


Yeah, that's me in the blue. Ugh. But at least I'm out there, trying something totally different.

In any case, I will train tomorrow and I will keep posting on this site. But I have to ask ... why? I mean ... what is my "why" now? Why train? For rugby? For the Spartan Race or the Tough Mudder? By the way, I'm doing those events, but with an eye to them like they are a made up thing, like St. Valentine's Day or something. I'm thinking that question was never really answered before this, as I had the Nationals as a target to train for.

Just as an aside here, I saw this video today:



I mean ... that's fit, man. I'm not sure I would have passed this fitness test two years ago, but now? The 5k run time might be my issue, but that would be it.

To get back to my main idea and to finish off this post ... So ... what do I do, change the title of this blog or start a new one... In other words .... "What's next?"

Saturday, March 17

Yeah, St Patrick's Day. Hey, if you want to go and get hammered and come back, this will wait. I'm not that big a fan of this day for a number of personal reasons. However, I will say this:

I made weight.

I spent the day at Brock University, watching and waiting for 3pm. Seriously, I could have stayed at home, but I got a really nice parking spot. I got there for 1pm and sat around for those hours. I talked to old friends and saw some really good wrestling, too. In any case, it was anti-climatic, as my weight cutting was already done by 4pm. That last hour was torture.

I ate well after the weigh ins and made it home in time for dinner, cuddles with my kids and got a chance to watch the finals of the tournament online. Kinda cool, really.

Later on, the brackets for my weight class were released on the CAWA page, too. OK, now, sleep.

Friday, March 16, 2012

Friday March 16

I just finished my last workout at home before Sunday. A nice 5k run. It was the third workout of the day.

Early in the morning, I did a 3k run, and then got into the gym and did this for a few rounds:

30 kb two handed swings - used the 12kilo bell
20 KB snatches
rolling and stretching

I just wanted to keep the sweat going. After a shower and a pat down, I hit 210. I then had a bite to eat then relaxed

I ate this today:

Breakfast: steak and eggs, water then coffee

Snack: water

Dinner: chicken and vegetable stir fry. Water to drink.

The second run of the day was a little harder, especially after watching a bit of the Score Fighting Series. Man ... it's getting to the point where I'm thinking about fighting instead of wrestling...

Thursday March 15

Down to the tail end here; getting concerned, but I'm ready for anything.

Right, got up and did a 4k run this morning. After that, got my kids up and at them, too. About 10am, took them into the garage and did a workout while my wife did here thing.

Did this a bunch of times. Seriously, I don't count, I just move around the room and have fun with my kids:

20 KB two handed swings
20 feet up push ups (sometimes with "extra weight")
10 hanging knee tucks
10 overhead ball throws

Man, I kept that up for about 45 minutes. The kids were having a blast chasing each other, helping me out, keeping things out of the youngest ones' mouth and generally just moving, climbing and getting healthy exercise without calling it that. After that, we got out for a walk, checking out a new park. I got on this rotating disc and nearly puked before my wife got the idea that I didn't like it. Got home and needed a nap to recover, man. Strange.

I ate this today:

Breakfast: eggs and steak. Water then coffee to drink

Snack: coffee

Lunch: a few crackers, some water

Dinner: fish and rice, water to drink.

After dinner, played a bit with the kids, went for another walk/climb with the kids and got them nice a tired. The baby went to sleep in ten minutes tonight. The older ones took less time. Note to self ... get them moving. A lot.

After most were in bed, did a 6k run, too. Will check weight tomorrow, do taxes and then see about getting to Brock to watch some wrestling and check weight there, too.

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Wednesday March 14

Man, this is getting to the nitty and gritty. It's also post number 461.

Whoa.

In any case, I got up this morning at 214; not early enough to get a morning workout in, but I made up for it with nearly an hour of swimming with my family in the afternoon. I also got a 7k run in this evening, too.

I ate this today:

Breakfast: steak on a piece of bread. Water to drink

Snack: coffee

Lunch: grilled cheese sammich. Not my first choice, but whatever. Water to drink

Dinner: turkey soup, sausage, 2 ribs, a large salad, and lots of fruit. Water and coffee to drink. Overall, not bad for an meal out.

Of course, after that meal I got home and did that previously mentioned 7k run. By the end, I finally got the feeling as if I was flying. Nice to have that sensation back.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Tuesday March 13

So ... here we are ... again.

I went for a run this morning and checked my weigh afterwards. 213.6. I'm just 2 pounds over, man. Pretty happy about that. I also arranged for a training partner or two while at the Nationals, too. My wife was happy about that.

As I mentioned, I went for a run this morning and planned on doing a workout this afternoon. Instead, I walked around Niagara Falls with my family and pushed a baby in a stroller. Well, I did get a couple of decent walks in.

I also cooked dinner on the bbq, man. Oh, that was good.

Breakfast; Eggs and roast beef, water to drink

Snack: coffee

Lunch: crackers and cheese. Water to drink.

Dinner: BBQ steak with grilled and sauteed vegetables and asparagus. Yeah, that meal was mostly vegetables. I promised myself I would make up for the crackers.

And then I went for another run tonight, too. I just needed to get out of the house by myself. Seriously, I love them, but they are all just a smidgen needy at times.

Monday, March 12, 2012

Monday March 12

Man, it's tough to figure out the day of the week on days like today. I stayed up late to watch almost all of season one of Breaking Bad. Man, I got to bed late. Won't do that tonight, that's for sure.

Had a great time today. My family is on a break this week; I had a great workout with all of my kids this morning.

I did a lot of moving; kettlebell swings, body weight squats, hanging knee tucks, push ups with the occasional set of weighted by child push ups, too. Just lots of movement and lots of fun.

I ate this:

Breakfast: chicken breast with a bit of bread. Coffee

Lunch: roast beef on a bun, vegetables. Water to drink

Dinner: roast beef with asparagus and a small dash of potato salad. Water to drink.

After I got the kids to bed, did a 7 k run. I sat and stretched as my wife and I watched a film together. A nice touch of togetherness on a rather frantic day.

Sunday March 11

Felt good after today. Ate this

Breakfast was eggs and fruit with coffee

Lunch was chicken soup with water to drink

Dinner was salmon and vegetables with even more water to drink

Did a 7.5 km run at the end of the day

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Thursday, Friday and Saturday March 10

ok, not as up to date as I am used to. I'm thinking it's been crazy stupid busy around here and this blog is bearing a bit of the stress. In any case, here's waht I did on Thursday:

Did a light workout on Thursday, I guess. I did this for five rounds:

20 rh swings
20 Lh swings
20 alternating cleans
20 two handed swings
20 feet up push ups
20 seated knee tucks

I was pretty tired at the end of this. I did get to bed extra early, too.

I woke up Friday feeling awesome. I got a heavier workout done for six rounds:


20 squats with the BTB
20 feet up push ups
10 TRX body rows
20 KB swings (40 lb bell used)
20 sledgehammer swings onto the tire
20 seated or hanging knee tucks
2:00 minute rounds of punching the punching bag....

at the end, did some rolling on my legs and shoulders.

I ate well Friday, too. Until dinner, when a buddy showed up and we went to The Keg for dinner. I got a steak cooked "blue" ... probably not the smartest thing to do, but oh, man ... it was frigging awesome to eat. Lots of vegetables, too. Gave me a few ideas of cooking on the BBQ this summer, man.

I did not get a run in, as we were late getting home.

Saturday I did wake up and got a 5k run in by 9am.

Then, I did a workout with my kids, at about 10am.
KB swings, balancing, moving on the feet, on my belly, crawling. Some rolling on my legs and ab work, some hand stand attempts, taking things out of my son's mouth, too. Basic movement

Then I did about an hour's worth of wrestling with a TKD buddy. After that, Church.

I got to play with my kids and be a dad then... when they were all in bed, I got another 4.7 k run in, man. I saw some results for the St Patrick's Day run in Hamilton, too. Should have done it this year. Alas, coin is not really forthcoming.

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Wed March 7

Oh, it's late. Let me get this done and go to bed.


First, I did this for six rounds this morning:

20 kb rh swings
20 kb lh swings
20 kb cleans each side
20 two handed swings
8-10 tire deadlifts
20 feet up push ups
10 sledgehammers into the tire
20 seated knee tucks
2:oo minutes of punching the punching bag

yeah, I was pretty tired and sweaty by the end, man.

I ate this:

breakfast: roast beef and eggs, tomato and pickled peppers. Water then coffee to drink.

Snack tea

Lunch: almonds, green pepper and tuna. Water to drink.

Dinner: small bowl of chilli with extra spicy goo for me. Water to drink.

After I got back from night shift, I went for a 5k run. It's all good, man.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Tuesday March 6

Today was pretty cool, man. I really like this part of my life. If I ever get bitter and angry, I will think back to a day like today and shut up.

I got up early and read that my pay cheque will go into the bank at midnight. How's that for a start to the day. Coffee was on quickly, and my kids were all delivered to daycare or school by 7:45am. I was a sweaty mess by 8am.

I did this five rounds:

8-10 tire dead lifts
20 feet up push ups
10 TRX Body rows
20 seated knee tucks
10 sledgehammer hits each side
20 kb swings (40 lb bell used)
2 minute rounds of punching the heavy bag.

that was awesome. I was a sweaty gross mess, even if it was rather cold in the garage today. After that I felt awesome.

I ate this today:

Breakfast: roast beef and eggs, tomato and pickled peppers. Water then coffee to drink.

Lunch: tuna, carrots and almonds, water to drink

Snack: more almonds and tea

Dinner: ok, here's where life is good: free pizza. Water to drink, though.

After I got all my kids into bed, I got to go on a run, too. 4.5 kilometers.

Monday, March 5, 2012

Monday March 5

I got this done four rounds this morning:

20 kb rh swings
20 kb lh swings
20 KB cleans each side
15 kb snatches
10 hanging knee tucks
20 feet up push ups

I had to get this done quickly, as I had to get myself to work. I ate fairly well today, too:

Breakfast: eggs and roast beef, water and then coffee

Lunch: carrots, tuna, green pepper and almonds. Water to drink

Snack: carrots and almonds with water

Dinner: eggs with tomatoes, water to drink.

After I got home from my night shift, I did a five 5 run, too. Nice and slow, took 28 minutes to run. Just before my morning training session, I weighed in at 217. On pace and taking it easy, I must say. Dinner tonight was pretty good, too.

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Saturday and Sunday March 3 and 4

Well, I had to be a dad these days. Which is cool, but it does cut into my training somewhat. Which is a-ok with me. Saturday, I turned my garage into a workout area for me and all of my children. While I worked with kettlebells and jumps, they climbed ropes and worked on a balance beam. Good stuff all around.

I got a lot of rounds of these done. Not sure how many exactly, but a lot:

20 BW squats
20 feet up push ups (got some "help" from my son a few times on these)
10 hanging knee tucks
20 two handed swings with a kb - my son kept "occupying' one, then the other
10 KB press ups - same thing

all the time, I kept circling around - jumps, climbs, crawls and gymnastic type movement. For an hour or so. Lots of fun and my kids got a kick out of it.

I ate this:

Breakfast: eggs and meat, coffee to drink

Lunch: small bowl of pasta. No, I didn't cook it

Dinner: carrots and hummus, stir fry beef and vegetables over rice. Water to drink.

After that, I went for an 8k run.

Sunday was a little different, as we had to get up and get stuff done.

I got this workout done by myself while everyone else was napping or swimming. Five rounds of:


20 kb rh swings
20 kb lh swings
15 kb cleans each side
20 two handed swings
20 feet up push ups
10 hanging knee tucks
6-8 tire dead lifts

By the end of that I was pretty sweaty.

I ate ok today, too:

Breakfast: steak and eggs. Coffee to drink then water.

Lunch: small bowl of pasta

after training snack: left over stir fry beef and vegetables. It was quick and yummy, with extra roast beef, too.

Dinner small bowl of left over pasta with chicken breast. Water to drink.

Yeah, you can tell who prepared what meal, man. Becoming clear where some of my difficulties lay in my immediate future when it comes to maintaining this weight. I really have to get my family on board.

After I got kids and wife to bed, I went for a 5k run.

On with Monday.

Friday, March 2, 2012

Friday Mar 2

A rather long day to a long week. Tpaout must be slightly annoyed, as I have yet to train there this week. Man, I'm annoyed because I haven't trained there this week.

Alas, time is something I'm not blessed with a lot these days; I make the most of what I got. I did this in my garage today for five rounds in 25 minutes:

10 rh swings
10 lh swings
10 alternating swings
10 two handed swings
10 snatches each side
20 feet up push ups
10 hanging knee tucks

I got something done, which was enough for today. Later on, I got some wrestling in, too.

I ate this:

Breakfast: vegetable and steak stir fry, water and coffee to drink.

Lunch: almonds, carrots and green peppers with tuna, too.

Snack: almonds and tea

Dinner: small slice of pizza.

Overall, not a bad week of eating. Made 216 yesterday and basically maintained at 217 today, before training, of course. I'm tired, but not overly concerned with weight at the moment.

I spoke to a buddy today, a former GR National Champion, about tactics. He thought my ideas were sound, but required a lot of fitness and a little technique. Should be good to go. I need to keep things going.

I got my paper work in the mail today, too. Money orders and paperwork are off to the places they need to be. I'm all green lights, man.

Need to keep training and keep on keeping on.

I am starting to wonder what's next, though. What do I do on the 19th of March?

I'm pretty sure I'm going to train, but other than the Tough Mudder and the Spartain Race, for what else is there to train? Rugby, yes, but I know that it's harder for me to maintain... oh, man. Not time for that soul searching yet.

Wrestling, dude. Wrestling.

Thursday March 1

I'm doing this late. Here is the workout for the day. I'm sore, still.

20 KB rh swings
20 Kb lh Swings
20 alternating hands swings
20 two handed swings
20 feet up push ups
20 seated knee tucks
20 sledgehammer slams

ate well:

breakfast: stir fry vegetables and steak. Water and coffee to drink.

Lunch: almonds, carrots and hummus with almonds and water.

Dinner: stir fry vegetables and pork loin. Water to drink.

After that, instead of a long run I went to Rugby - which turned out to be semi-light. Lots of sprinting ... and then argueing. Sigh. I got a decent after raining stretch in, though. Tight everything, but others were more sore than I was, man.

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Wed Feb 29

Extra day ... of rest. Had to, after that long run Tuesday. What was I thinking?

Meh, set a new personal record with that run. On with today.

Did this a flexibility / mobility and recovery session this morning; my shoulders and legs were just hurting. I rolled out my legs and shoulders, too.

Ate this:

breakfast: smoothie

Lunch: almonds, carrots with some hummus and water to drink.

Snack: almonds

Dinner: small bowl of pasta with tuna and Srachi sauce, water to drink. Almonds for dessert.

That's it. I did want to go for a run after my night shift, but got talking to my wife and father. It's all good, as I checked weight this morning and was 218; I'm on course. Besides, I was really really sore.