DOMS in EFFECT!!!

Committed to some work related duties in the Ottawa area that started Sunday. Legs were feeling a taaaaaaad tight since Saturday's workout. Definitely pushed it, however at 2 months in.....time to start hitting this level. Have been eyeing the hotel gym since arriving and decided to enable a 2-day recovery period before getting back on track. Picked up some swim goggles yesterday which confirms the fact that subconsciously....I want to start swimming? I have confirmed....it's hard to get a decent workout in a hotel...at least the kinds of hotels I've been staying in..equipment is sub par, environment less than motivating and rarely is there someone beside you to push or "compete" against. Punched in for a 30 minute run and had to make my exit after that to the pool...room was waaaay too stuffy. Quick soap down, goggles donned and some laps of the pool. All in all.....feeling pretty good. Finished with a "Warm" vs Hot tub and about to get my act in gear to finish up this gig here. Oh yeah....will ensure I space these overnighters a little further than weekly in future...soooo over rated...novelty of travel and hotels wanes quickly.

Alzheimers....NO WAY..I DO CARDIO ;)

My weekend was....well didn't really feel like a wknd...hang on a second..it's Sunday so technically a wknd?!?!? Yesterday, plan was to drop Lauren off at a Birthday party and meet wife at gym for our Saturday workout....got to gym and took me a few minutes to register......damn winter....forgot my shoes!!!! So...off I went to meet up with a coworker half way to T.O to pick up some gear for what was needed for today. Kept the locus of focus once I returned back and punched in to the gym. Everytime i get on this crosstrainer slash stairmaster, I tell myself....RIGHT...I need to remember the name of this bloody thing!! I keep forgetting..is this early onset Alzheimers..not according to CBC segment the other day. Studies show, 30-40 minutes of moderate aeorbic exercise 3-5 times per week reduces the onset of Alzheimers by some...damn it...what was that percentage?!?! Anyways...alls good Punched in for a solid 30 treadmill run and 30 CROSSRAMP!!!! THATS IT!!!! and then made my way over to the squat rack. So, I arrived and the gym was dead....then by the time I finished cardio...all those punks that were out "clubbin'" last night decided to ward off their evil toxins and it always seems to populate the squat rack. The squat rack is kind of like the gym watercooler... a whole lot a posturing and not a lotta action. Decided to test the shoulder with some dumbell bench. Picked up some 45's and felt.......easy. Cranked off like 20 super slow eccentric reps and then swapped them out for some fiddies. This was more like it...this was also reflection time...the good ole days...remembering grabbing 75's and 80's for the same exercise. Should get back to this kinda weight in a few months. Take'r slow. Finished a couple sets and then gazed over at squat rack...yup...boys still reminicing about the previous night....found a prone hamstring curl machine...BONUS..NEW..this was lacking and glad to see it in the roster. Eased into it and caught a glimps of the Jersey shore leaving the rack...time to make my move Started easy with a plate a side..finding the 5 pound weights under heels help a lot...yeah yeah yeah FMS..tight soleus...blah blah blah. Added 20...another set and then another 20. Feeling good. Decided to do a 4th set strip style back to the original plate to fatigue...feeling every step today! Just checked into the hotel and will definitely take'r easy today...hot tub is a beckoning. Will get a hotel workout in tomorrow eve as this will need to counter the amount of sedentary yapping that I will be participating for most of the day tomorrow....come on Mr. Sun let's get this party started!!!! Quick mental snapshot...will participate in 8 hr solo's again this year....POPS..You in for support crew ;) Will stick to group 24...won't better my 3rd place in the OVER 40 category so....revell in this for a bit. Hmmm is that a budweiser I brought from home...why yes.....YES it is...come here big boy!

Ctrl, Alt, Del....DONE

After last evenings FIASCO.....it was time to get the body back in check! My return trip from Orillia region should have been just over 3 hrs with a GPS estimated arrival of 7:30. GREAT! I thought....just in time to help out putting the kiddies to bed and getting some story time in.....alas.....traffic detour as a result of some swine involved in a high speed chase with I'm guessing OPP who decided to crash his vehicle into a divider at 1 pm!!! End result....me getting home at MIDNIGHT...actually 12:04 to be exact!!! Luckily, I had the internet and my Kobo with me to entertain me along the way. Managed to get tied in with a Fil and Shaun this morning who were going to Ninja my garage with or without me. The spin session was juuuuuuust what the doctor ordered. just shy of an hour of a Spinerval vid called...muscle breakdown!! Highlight were 4 sec on/4 sec off intervals for 5 and 3 minutes....beauty is all I can say!! Am getting so much closer to committing to this years events.....8 hrs are beckoning me..again...24 will be a group format....I don't know....8 hours is just the perfect amount of time to ride...and ride HARD is the plan this year! Good local day for work...making things happen steve ;) Lots of excitement! Getting ready for hockey tonight. Big travel day today, gym Sunday and Work related demands will see me punching in to a hotel for workouts Sun-Tues in Ottawa.....hmmmmm perhaps I should bring a bike.......if it was just a little nicer..... SSSSsssssTATS! 52 min...drop in the bucket but... 575 CAL/40% fat max 178 or 95% avg 147 or 79%...interesting that it is really getting hard to max out heart rate.....sniff sniff is that fitness I smell?? Hard-20:40 min; Light 10:44; Moderate 16:15 min Hockey should shed the light on energy reserves.... Oh yes...it is official....more than my 2 coffee quota per day..makes me.........mental. Back to the 2 day quota

Hotel Workout...DONE

Work demands result in an overnight in Orillia. Quickly checked in and then punched in to the fitness room. Man.....environment is so crucial for motivation for me. Managed an hour of cardio and a quick blast of seated rows, pulldowns, shoulder press and partial bench. Pulled the pin mid way through bench for multiple reasons. Rub a dub Hot tub, shower, dinner and some ebay status check....wheelsets and brake pads en route...time to call it an eve..nighty night. Spin session tomorrow night

Family Weekend, Watch not happy with me :(

I purchased a Polar CS300 from Ebay a while back and was pretty pumped at the deal. Unfortunately, this little bugger won't acknowledge "cycling" mode, hence will not pick up the sensors for speed and cadence. Will have to send this back to Polar to have this properly addressed....however has been a great motivational tool for the gym. Speaking of....the gym...Last time punched in seemed like a heck of a long time ago...why? A jam packed weekend of family activities bringing the kiddies to Ottawa for Disney on Ice, Winterlude (sans skating on canal due to poor/warm weather), Museum of Civilization, IMAX movie and beaucoup swimming every chance they got! This results in no huffing and puffing for Dad as locus of focus was placed on little people's fun. There was some discussion about punching in for a workout at the hotel, however, a visit to the "Beer King" in hull transpired into a rather large purchase of beer and some consumption Saturday night with our fellow travel companions. I guess you could call the 2 km run to/from car a bit of a workout when I realized I had prescription sunglasses on for museum with reg glasses in vehicle. So...it is officially "family day" and there is plan to spin indoors....I can't bring myself to stay indoors as the sun is shining!! Time to finish up this second coffee, get some breakfast and swap sedentary rubber into active rubber on both bikes :) Now.....which one do I take out?? Oh yeah....my monday morning watch message placed the subtle hint that I didn't meet my week's objectives. Instead of the congratulations message and a watch face celebration trophy icon........I get a Ying/Yang icon....hmmm, ain't technonology grand! Turns out swapping out home made spiked tires to regular rubber in a cold garage with cold tubes and tires leads to...........exploding innertubes. Change in plans....spin with Fil to Sufferama...good stationary spin nonetheless

Return to the Garage.....apprehensively

Early Morning spin today with Shaun and Fil attending. They have now infiltrated my garage and have indicated they will continue to do so WITH or WITHOUT me. This being said......the control freak I am....means I am "Uping" up my training now to include intermittent Garage spins with a couple lunatics. Have to admit......felt good to spin over the cranks. Polar watch is still F&*ed up so all I had for feedback was heart rate data. Fil and Shaun showed up, like 3 minutes early.....this was a good sign....Fil toting his own laptop due to our major IT issues we've had in the past trying to run these vids on my systems was also addressed...things looking better. Some slight trash talking about looking forward to ripping each others legs off....correction Fil and I trash talking and Shaun behaving......hmmmmmm....This guy is a potential sleeper ;) and the session began. The video was called "Hillacious" from none other than Coach Troy. Have to admit...these sessions are well put together. Did my best to follow my "OWN ZONE" range identified by my HRM, however realised after reading the instruction manual.....I'm not warming up properly to enable the adjustment of range.....will do this next time. Solid hour of simulated rolling hills ended and started the day. Will invest the wknd to family time soooooo, should get me arse into the gym to start the day tomorrow. Now.......if I could just get rid of this deeply routed phlegm....lung brush anyone?!?!? Good to get a msg from one of the original attendees today.....hoping to get some riding in the near...from the sounds of it....will take quite an effort to keep up to her ;) NOw.....if I could only come into about 5-6K for a new ride........hmmmmmmm

wash rinse....repeat

Good to get on the ice last night with the regular weekly game. Brought in a new recruit to the mix. Workout this a.m. turned out to be better than expected. Solid hour of cardio followed by some functional strengthening for a total of 1.5 hrs. Realizing that I need to get spinning again as a couple of the old regulars have been using my garage to do this independently.......time to get this back in check, starting early tomorrow. There we have it....spin tomorrow...with 5 and 6 degree weather, I anticipate some road riding in the very near ;) Weekend will be a family event as we are spending wknd in Ottawa to bring kids to Disney on ice and some skating on the Canal (fingers crossed)....may be pushing the limits bringing my xc skiis with...craving some DH skiing, but don't think this is going to happen :(

Pre-Valentines Date

Some quality time at the gym with me mate, Jac! Only drawback is this quality time generally falls during peak times at the gym where equipment can sometimes be at my premium....time for a RANT! Any dude or dudette that stands at the squat rack (only 2 in the gym...not including Smith machines) and takes like....5 minute breaks between sets....should be fined. As I was with Jac....it was a little tougher to "work in" a rep so next best thing...Smith machine. OK...let's define a Smith machine. Essentially a piece of crap. A way for guys to just boost ego, pressing and benching way more than can be stabilized. Could be considered a good piece of equipment to build confidence prior to setting up a real exercise with free weight! Quick cardio day of 45 min and some OKC Quads and Hams prior to finishing off with some Smith Machine squats. Almost left angry....doing squats on a Smith machine is like taking a ford focus for a lap around the Nurbring ring when a shiny GT3 is idling in the pits...perhaps I'm embelishing a bit but...legs do feel a tad flushed and will make up for this tomorrow with a decent UE day. Weather is so freakin mild...I may switch gears and get some early a.m. runs in. Had enough of the bikes hanging on the wall...ebay helped me console this by showing me the light.......the light being a new wheel set for the mt bike and road bike....:) Counting down the days till these arrive

*YAWWWWWN* Ain't Consistency....BORING!!

Back to back workouts at gym. Last evenings not so great as I had to hammer home from Picton and squeeze time in prior to taking my oldest to skating. Still managed 45 min of ~80 threshold training followed by some squats and hammies. Today was a killer catch up. Solid hour of cross and treadmill followed up by some back, chest and RC! Bench felt quite a bit better. Lat pulldowns are now the exercise to use as my measure of improved shoulder stability. Every end range rep feels......weird.....I know why.....cause my GH jt is attempting to jam my clavicle through my skin....who needs ligaments when fascia does it's job ;) As a result....loads o emphasis is being placed on all those juicy muscles that counter upwards translation of the humerus....hmmmm anatomy time...this would be Lats...big mofo's....T minor, T major, subscap, and I recall the supra to a certain extent. Still baffles me that the supra is in tact...maybe I should get an MRI for fun just to get a good pic of this yardsale of a shoulder for a benchmark or...why bother..it's working. So.....entry for 24 is still not up and running online, weather is still playing with my psyche to transition to outdoor riding, but I've decided if no snow by end of weekend....off come the spikes and some leisurely rides on road (with mt bike) are going to happen. Invested in all this goretex and fancy schmancy gear over the years....can't use if for xc skiing soooooo time to re-invent my cycling wardrobe! Yeah yeah.........goal time.......still can't shake the idea of just having a blast this summer. Wakeboarding, general fitness, and perhaps........perhaps........introducing Jac to the world of Mt. biking.....I think this is a good plan. Time to get those little ducks following mom and dad on some tame gravel trails ;)

Rotator Cuff training

Missed yesterday and schedule enabled an a.m. workout today. Put some big emphasis on rotator cuff strengthening and will now put a bit more emphasis on end range agonistic external, internal and horizontal abduction training. Right shoulder definitely felt better than expected. Just walked in the door from a long day of work related travel so......no hockey tonight...choosing a rather large glass o vino instead ;)

What a DAY!!!

Started off pretty straight forward. Jac an I packed the kids up and headed to the gym for a little workOUUUUUT! Discussions regarding trading our far from trusty Audi translated into a whirlwind of a negotiation. End result, decent workout and Jac gaining a 2009 Civic EX-L....Lllllloaded. cracked some champagne for fun and enjoying a family eve. Van all packed for tomorrow's ski day with Lauren.....yeah....life is pretty good right now :)

Yawwwwwn...need an injection of fun man!

Monday gym, Wednesday.....same and am about to meet a couple twisted souls in my garage for a spin. Highlight will be listening to Fil recall his exploits climbing mountains in Africa, safari, and skiing in Colorado since he last punched in to the sweat shop. An impromptu email to another twisted soul has a group of three congregating and giving copious donations of sweat to the cold floor. Gym tomorrow with the honey and then orientation time for oldest at Batawa...first day on DH skiis Sunday...a good weekend. Why am I not having a beer or a glass of wine....riiiiight...I have to spend an hour plus sweating in a cold garage...better sweep out the sand and crap accumulated from weeks of wife's parking inside of it...the nerve?!?!?! :) So it happened...just finished a great meal and figa'd I'd have a solid 30 min laydown before the mangy maniacs showed up for the 7 pm spin....6:23...lay on couch....fleece blanket juuuuust pulled over and about to exhale slowly when....*knock knock knock*...FIl shows up. Time to flick some switches in the brain! Shaun shows up a few minutes early....appears the boys are anxious to get the show on the road!! As I was going to the gym tomorrow (actually today as I'm writing this end of post) and these guys haven't spun some cranks in a while...the decision of what video should have been an easy one...UPHILL GRIND! But...not to be found...grrr. I made the mistake of putting in a "Recovery and Technique" dvd when FIl ripped me up and down for being a panzy....this is why he is part of our elite crew....we all need to drive each other at times ;) He made the decision, a good one at that, to swap out this with Mental Toughness. What does this mean...well instead of a 45 min vid that would have been a smart re-intro to spinning cranks, it became and hour and a half of some anaerobic threshold training. Fil made the mistake of making a comment early that "well...we can only do the hour and that should be good"...what do you think I said....that's right.....we all finsihed the full VID!!!! 1 hr 41 min starting at 7:09 pm on a FRIDAY!! 1037 calories...replenished with two creemore with the crew....silly max 174 or 93% avg 76% or 142...perrrrfect In zone 103-168 = 1 hr 31 min 9 am gym session with the wifey while kids play in the Jump room....hopefully they have TSN on one of those TV's as I think I need to just "punch in" this morning. Skiing tomorrow with Lauren and then stay on the path. It appears the boys think Friday evenings will be the most convenient time to get together for spins......I have no choice but to obey ;) We make up a tough congregation