Jim vs. Running

Note: I’m posting this a few weeks late, just to keep the blog as accurate as possible. Expect brevity.

Shoulder hurt, did some running.

400m – 1:47
800m – 4:11
800m – 4:27
800m – 4:27

Very disappointing, except inasmuch as I actually ran.

Jim vs. His Own Damn Shoulder, Plus Squats

On June 5th, I knocked out a half-Murph. That night, my dog had a nightmare, I went to pet him, tripped over a box fan in the dark, and managed to re-aggravate the injury to my left trap muscle that’s plagued me for the last 17 years.

At least I didn’t hurt it by sneezing this time.

So, I took two weeks off. The second week was even easier to skip than the first, since I spent it at a conference in Philly. Not working out made packing and scheduling easier.

But now I’m back, and it’s time to get back to it.

Back squats
205 x 3
185 x 4

Front squats
165 x 3
150 x 4

Overhead squats
105 x 3
95 x 4

I basically took the weights from the last time I did this workout, and re-figured them as reverse pyramids (I did drop back a bit for the OHSs, since I’m still trying to take it easy on the trap). It went about as well as expected.

Good to be back.

Jim vs. The Half-Murph

I’d like to do a full Murph again this summer.  And while I don’t plan on doing a whole ‘nother Summer of Murph, it seemed wise — considering my running performances of late — to ease myself in a bit.

Half-Murph
.5 mile run
50 pull-ups
100 push-ups
150 squats
.5 mile run

Finished in 18:05.  That’s more than eight minutes faster than when I did a half-Murph last year, a 31% improvement. At that rate, a full Murph would’ve taken me 36:10, two minutes faster than the time which was, frankly, incredible for me.

Not that I’m up to doing a full Murph that fast today, but damn if it didn’t feel like a good start.

Jim vs. Olympic Lifts

Another variation on these workouts, this time doing 85% of my max for six sets of one rep each.

Snatch
100 x 1
100 x 1
100 x 1
100 x 1
100 x 1
100 x 1

Clean & jerk
145 x 1
145 x 1
145 x 1
145 x 1
145 x 1
145 x 1

More reps, heavier loads than last September. Plus, I was really focusing on getting under the weight on each rep, and I think that helped my form tremendously. Good stuff.

Jim vs. 1k Row, Deadlifts

Had to change things up a bit, today. My schedule forced me to hit the gym early, before Teagle Downstairs was open. So I did my warmup in Teagle Upstairs, and did my rowing before my deadlifts.

1k row – 4:26

Not my best time by a damn sight. Then the Downstairs opened, so I got my deadlift on:

345 x 3
310 x 4
275 x 5

I pulled back a bit on the loads for three reasons: 1) I’d just finished a 1k row, 2) I haven’t done deadlifts in a month, and 3) I decided to start using 50kg plates as a base, so that first set was technically 345.4622 lbs.

OK, that third reason isn’t serious.

But overall I was glad I started a bit light; next week I’ll give my old numbers a go. Also, those 50kg plates are heavy. I know: unsurprising.