I am feeling too tired today to do a workout, so I will be taking a nice rest. ** HFT 2.0 (day 12): 24-12-2011 ** Chin-ups reps: 7, 7 Chin-ups, close grip reps: 6 ** HFT 2.0 (day 13): 25-12-2011 ** Chin-ups reps: 7, 6 Chin-ups, close grip reps: 6 Combined with the first try I have been doing HFT for a little over 3 weeks so these will be the last two for 2011.
Seventh: ** 27/12/2011 ** Adv frogstand 6x5s Frogstand 30s Tuck front lever 25s Tuck l-sit 25s Tuck front lever 25s Tuck l-sit 25s - I will be testing my max times on the tuck front lever and tuck l-sit tomorrow (probably have to take a step back). Also have to make sure I stay completely horizontal on the levers, makes a big difference. - Unless it has yet to appear I think the HFT hasn't done anything for muscle mass in the upper body . Will try either tomorrow or friday to get a new personal best on chin-ups.
How did you begin practicing the frogstands? They look very interesting. I can only get a few seconds on the frogstand when I try it.
The standard 'rule' is to do sets with half your max hold time and do a combined total of 60 seconds. So if you can hold a frogstand for 20 seconds max you will do 6 sets of 10 seconds. Don't know if that is the way to go if you can only hold it for a few seconds. Maybe do 10 sets of 2-3 seconds to get a feel for it? Maybe Frodocious can tell you a bit more about that.
Part of the problem with learning frogstands is getting the balance point correct. You have to make sure you are leaning forward enough. You may find that initially you fall over forwards when trying them - I recommend placing a thick pillow or cushion in front of you so that if you face plant you land on that. Once you have the balance point sorted try working with short sets building up to a minute hold. If you can only do 5 second holds then do 12 sets of 5 seconds 2 or 3 times a week. Gradually increase the hold times and decrease the number of sets you do. Ideally you want to test your maximum hold time, then divide it by 2 and work sets of those totalling 1 minute. So if your max hold is 10 secs you'd work 5 second holds for about 6 weeks, then retest your max and increase your hold time accordingly. If you can only do really short holds, say 4 seconds, then work sets of those.
** Workout: 28/12/2011 ** Set A (3x) Squats 20s, reps: 17, 17, 14 Jump squats 20s, reps: 12, 11, 10 Iso squat hold 20s Adv frogstand 2x10 Frogstand 30s Tuck front lever 25s - perfectly horizontal Tuck l-sit 25s Push-ups, negative lever 2x2 - each side Push-ups 3x10 Chin-ups 2x3 Chin-ups, close grip 2x3 Plank 2x60s - 45s rest Hang 2x25s - 30s rest - I feel like I'm slacking off a bit on the workouts. Will do my final workout on friday and will try to make it the best training of 2011.
** Workout: 30/12/2011 ** Set A (3x) - with weight vest (10kg) Squats 20s, reps: 16, 12, 10 Jump squats 20s, reps: 11, 8, 6 Iso squat hold 20s Set B (2x) Straight-leg deadlift x10 @24kg Glute bridge x5 @12kg Squats x40 Adv frogstand 5x6s Frogstand 30s Set C (5x) Tuck l-sit 10s Tuck front lever 10s Rest 30s Chin-ups reps: 7, 5 Chin-ups, slow negative reps: 2x20s, 15s, 10s Push-ups, negative lever 2x8 - alternating Push-ups, slow 2x3 - 5s down, 5s hold, 5s up Push-ups, slow negative 3x1 - 15s Plank 2x60s - 45s rest Hang 2x30s - 45s rest That's it, the final workout of 2011. - Had some fun trying the squat complex with my weight vest. Fairly small weight, but it makes a big difference. - Still can't do more chin-ups, but the negatives were fun. Happy start of a healthy and active 2012 to all!! :love:
** Workout: 01/01/2012 ** Set A (3x) Squats x20 Glute bridge x10 @12kg Squat Jumps x10 Adv frogstand 5x6s Chin-ups 2x1 @10kg - fast up, slow down (~5s) Chin-ups, close grip 3x1 - fast up, slow down (~5s) Pull-ups 3x1 - fast up, slow down (~5s) - Now that the HFT with chin-ups is over I will add them back into the main workouts. Will probably do something similar to what I did today, but with a bit more volume. - Consciously using all the relevant muscles makes the frogstand feel more stable and I get the idea that it makes my chest do some of the hard work (hope I explained that well enough ). - Not sure yet, but might start HFT for the calves tomorrow (there is a specific workout for that on t-nation). - I have now officially quit Karate. If all goes as planned I will be moving next saturday.
Seventh: Thanks! Links to HFT 2.0 articles on T-Nation: HFT 2.0 - link 1: This is the one I used for my chin-ups. It has a version for increasing reps and one for building mass. HFT 2.0 - link 2: This one has the routine for the calves in it. Started with the calf routine myself today. Will not post the workouts, because they are not that interesting. I will post results about any gains when I take measurements again, which I will do halfway through (17-1) and at the end of the program (first week of February).
** Workout: 03/01/2012 ** Set A (3x) Squats 20s, reps: 20, 18, 15 Jump Squats 20s, reps: 12, 11, 10 Iso squat hold 20s Set B (2x) Straight-leg deadlift x5 @24kg Glute bridge x10 @12kg Adv frogstand 5x6s Frogstand 30s Set C (5x) Tuck front lever 10s Tuck l-sit 10s Rest 30s Chin-ups 3x1 @10kg - fast up, slow down (~10s) Pull-ups 5x1 - fast up, slow down (~5s) Chin-ups, close grip 3x1 - fast up, slow down (~5s) Push-ups, negative lever x20 - alternating, short rest between reps Hang 2x30s - rest 60s Plank 2x65s - rest 60s Set D (2x) Rawr! grow arms grow Tricep dips x10 Db curls x8 @12kg - Glute bridges are fun. - Really trying to push the hips forward on the tuck l-sit now, makes it a lot harder on the arms.
Make sure that you're really focusing on contracting your glutes when bridging, and to progress them you could try doing them from a bench [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8nFGuY77CE"]Barbell Hip Thrust - YouTube[/ame]
** Workout: 6-1-2012 ** Set A (3x) Squats x10 @12kg Lunges x10 @12kg - alternating Glute bridge x5 @12kg Adv Frogstand 4x6s, 15s Set B (5x) Tuck l-sit 10s Tuck front lever 10s Rest 30s Small workout today . Will be moving tomorrow and was thinking about if I should change anything in the workouts now that I'm no longer doing Karate. Was thinking about doing the gymnastics part three times a week, but not sure about the rest yet.
I moved to another place and it's not practical to travel between my new home and the dojo where I used to train. There is another dojo (same style) here, but it's a bit more expensive (you do get more lessons and multiple martial arts for that) and I could use the money for other things right now (study). I also feel like taking a break from Karate (and martial arts in general). Gymnastics and (strength) training are more satisfying for me at the moment, but I might go back to Karate or check out one of the other available martial arts in a few weeks/months when I get the urge to start hitting things again . Also a small announcement about my workouts: I will do the next one on Tuesday (when most of the mess should be cleaned up). Found a nice bit in 'Building the gymnastic body' called 'Tips for increasing pull-ups' that I will try for my chin-ups and my push-ups, as it promises exactly what I want to achieve .
** Workout: 10/1/2012 ** Set A (3x) Squats 20s, reps: 21, 17, 15 Squat jumps 20s, reps: 12, 12, 10 Iso squat hold 20s Set B (2x) Straight-leg deadlift x5 @26kg Glute bridge x10 @13kg Adv Frogstand 5x6s Frogstand 30s tuck L-sit 5x10s Push-ups, lever 3x4 Push-ups, close grip 2x8 Set C (3x) Db Row x5 @20kg Rear lateral raise x5 @3kg Rest 30s Plank, one-leg 3x20s - 60s rest, switching sides at half time - Can't use the door frame pull-up bar here, so no pull- and chin-ups for me (for now).