August Routine - time out from the gym

[harukoraharu]

I'm fairly disillusioned with training at the gym but know if I take a month's break and don't have a plan I will do nothing and get more depressed. So I need to put together something to keep me occupied and work on my weaknesses: upper body - chest/arms, back flexibility; lower body - hamstrings, hip and hamstring flexibility. I'm thinking more aloud here but would welcome any ideas.

Just bought a kettlebell, will probably take a week. I bought an interval timer a couple of weeks ago. I've got a leather skipping rope. That's pretty much it on the equipment side.

I can do some slow long runs and shorter interval runs in the park, some core exercises, kettlebell circuits also in the park when other groups are exercising then I won't feel such an idiot. Bit stuck for where to do pull ups/chin ups as the only playing field that looks like it has a bar is just behind the gym. I get stuck on bench press and pull ups are recommended to fix this. I dunno if running works the hamstrings and quads equally as I'm a bit quad dominant and this messes up my squat?

[seiken steve]

The kettlebell is you friend here!
Many PLers use kettle bells to help their squat and Deadlift, including world record holding donnie Thompson.

When swings are done properly they are a devastating hamstring exercise, plus it's relatively low eccentric phase makes it a good movement for very frequent use (good for keeping you sane)

Kettle bell clean and press is a good shoulder exercise and one I used heavily in my last training cycle.

Stairs can be a great place for box jumps and other plyo work, good for squat and DL.

Pull up bars are like 11 quid in Argos.

Obviously you have your push ups etc and bodyweight box squats are well worth hitting up.

I'm also very quad dominant and personally I don't think a month training heavily with kettle bells is a bad idea.

I would ask why your wanting to be out the gym for a month?

[harukoraharu]

All this could depend whether my KB arrives today, as its the new month today so I'll need to decide if I can do it.

I mainly train on my own anyway, and this presents difficulties in the gym, like not doing things right, having no spotters, getting differing advice on how to do the same lift, training goals. I really didn't want to do the comp last month, but felt I got bullied into it as I'm training 5 times a week and can't really hold a conversation when training, feel I can't say what I mean. The end of my ninjutsu training has made me more reserved and proved that saying what you mean will get you into trouble.

For all the gym time I still seem as far from a one armed push up or handstand as at the start of the year. All my training upto Friday is online here: Training - https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?ke​y=0ApZ9sARU26o7dEZ5eTNaSXFtbE00VUhTZGg0LWJs eFE&hl=​en_US (https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0ApZ9sARU26o7dEZ5eTNaSXFtbE00VUhTZGg0LWJse FE&hl=en_US)

[seiken steve]

Learning to handstand can do wonders for peoples bench/press and shoulder health.

[Knight_Errant]

My advice is to keep things relatively simple- it's so easy to get suckered into doing a thousand and one different things when you're training on your own. And you can have a lot of fun (painful kind of fun) whilst not noticing that you haven't actually made much progress.
Turkish getups are awesome. http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/turkish_get_up_training.htm
A few pointers: learn to initiate the movement by 'driving' with your whole body rather than just pushing off with an arm movement.
Do the whole movement with an unloaded dumbell or a really light weight of any kind a few times to warm up and master the relatively complex movement.
Keep your eyes on the implement.

Don't forget the obvious- pushups are a great exercise and don't deserve the opprobrium that's been heaped upon them by those concerned only with adding pounds to barbell exercises (although, right now, that's me. I'm becoming a dedicated benching, squatting, pressing, deadlifting and pullup machine for a while)

While we're on the subject, try burpees. Adding a pullup every 5 reps rounds it out nicely by adding a 'pull' movement. Personally I do them by timing them and doing as many as possible in the time frame- I started out with 5 minutes, and I'm adding a minute every week until I reach 10 minutes, at which point I plan to start wearing a backpack with weights in it.

[seiken steve]

All great points KE.

push ups are indeed under-rated, people would be supprised at the effect regular push ups have.

[Zaad]

how does one get started with handstands.
ive tried several times to do progressions but what do you recommend?

[Frodocious]

Start with wall hold handstands for time and build up from there.

There is some good stuff on handstands here:

http://gymnasticbodies.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=293

http://gymnasticbodies.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=16

[Knight_Errant]

All great points KE.
Thanks :)

Handstands? I found this really useful:
http://www.sandowplus.co.uk/Competition/Hoffman/YorkHandBalance/yorkhb1.htm
One of the problems with modern exercise advice is that it tends to be either a)wrong or b)concerned with athletes who already have attributes that most people don't. Put another way, it's just not intended for the 'regular joe'. The older stuff, though, seems to be more helpful sometimes.

[harukoraharu]

Well my protein turned up:) but the KB hasn't yet:(

Started day 1 never gymless slowly. Warmup, mainly rotating movements, some ground rolling. Interval training on Jesus Green. 30/15 second split, 30 intervals using my Gymboss. First set: bodyweight squat - dive bomb push ups, worked out about 10 squats and 6 push ups per interval or 150 squats, 90 push ups total.

Here's a gratuitous link for the guys, no it's not me
‪Fitness - Dive Bomber Push Ups Exercise‬‏ - YouTube

Second set: sit ups - incline row (using my tenugui around a scaffold poles where they are building the new skate park on Jesus Green). Was possibly harder on the grip towards the end, couldn't get a very good angle but I wanted a pulling type exercise. Varied from 9 to 10 per set for each, so about 125 each.

Third set: changed to 16 intervals with run - walk to finish, with the added challenge that the little park near me was so dark I could hardly see the path.

[Zaad]

Well my protein turned up:) but the KB hasn't yet:(

Started day 1 never gymless slowly. Warmup, mainly rotating movements, some ground rolling. Interval training on Jesus Green. 30/15 second split, 30 intervals using my Gymboss. First set: bodyweight squat - dive bomb push ups, worked out about 10 squats and 6 push ups per interval or 150 squats, 90 push ups total.

Here's a gratuitous link for the guys, no it's not me
‪Fitness - Dive Bomber Push Ups Exercise‬‏ - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66-v0AaANHk)

Second set: sit ups - incline row (using my tenugui around a scaffold poles where they are building the new skate park on Jesus Green). Was possibly harder on the grip towards the end, couldn't get a very good angle but I wanted a pulling type exercise. Varied from 9 to 10 per set for each, so about 125 each.

Third set: changed to 16 intervals with run - walk to finish, with the added challenge that the little park near me was so dark I could hardly see the path.

I just saw huge female glutes on tht vid.
not complaining. :rolleyes:

[harukoraharu]

So I did my running intervals on Wednesday (the same day my Kettlebell turned up) and hope to get on with a KB workout tomorrow. Not sure where outside yet, if it's really wet it could be out on the landing. So for the first workout I'm thinking 30-15 work-rest intervals with 30 intervals. Not sure if that's ambitious?

Lhand Swing
Rhand Swing
Lhand Clean&Squat
Rhand Clean&Squat
Lhand Highpull
Rhand Highpull
Lhand Clean&Press
Rhand Clean&Press
Lhand SinglelegDeadlift
Rhand SinglelegDeadlift

Repeat, Repeat

[harukoraharu]

End of a week doing home training. On Friday I ended up going through 30-15, then 40-20, then 50-25 for 10 exercises with the kettlebell then some technique stuff.

Today I got up, got dressed and went out for a pre-breakfast run. Did a 4 mile fairly steady pace run along the Cam, around 30 minutes, battling the wind on my way back. Pleased that I didn't stop as passed the point when I wanted to but convinced myself it was no distance. Throat didn't half feel dry.

[Knight_Errant]

You might want to get yourself a little plastic bottle of water for the runs. I just use those little brecon carrreg bottles.

[Zaad]

You might want to get yourself a little plastic bottle of water for the runs. I just use those little brecon carrreg bottles.

Diarrhoea?

[Knight_Errant]

that's not even worthy of a response :p

[harukoraharu]

Never felt comfortable carrying anything while running. When I get tired I have to work on keeping the same cadence with my arms

[Knight_Errant]

really? I'm the opposite. I have to be wired into an MP3 player and have a stopwatch on my wrist before I go anywhere.

[harukoraharu]

I do tend to 'glow' a bit when going for it, and have been told you don't really need water for sub hour long runs. I'm not used to exercise in the mornings

[Knight_Errant]

me either. My 'morning run' has become an afternoon run 3 times in a row now.

[harukoraharu]

Missed the core/bodyweight exercises on Monday but pushed it on Wednesday with the interval runs 3:05 run 1:00 walk 12 intervals all on grass track, finishing with a 15 minute street run and 5 minute walk.

Had DOMS yesterday and a bit of today. Pushed through it for more Kettlebells. Switched my interval exercises to 1. Swing/High Pull L+R, 2. Single Leg Deadlift L+R, 3. Swing/High Pull again L+R, 4. Clean/ATG Squat L+R, 5. Windmills with 30/15, 40/20 and 50/25 second exercise/rest intervals. Then worked on some sets of 10 with Lunges, Clean/Press, Goblet Squat, Swing/High Pull/Snatch, finishing on Turkish Get Ups 3 L+R. Technique is everything on those, the weight isn't heavy but mess it up and it goes