NAVY Joe's Lower Back Rehab and SS restart log

[Joe Leppo]

Wednesday, 17 APR 13: Off -- Duty Day; stuck on the ship

Thursday, 18 APR 13: Cardio/Conditioning at Fleet Gym Yokosuka
- C2 Rower: 5 min w/u / 15 x 20 sec sprint @ 40 sec recovery
- Treadmill: 1.5 miles in 13:10 w/increasing speed each 400m (6.6, 6.7...7.1)

[Joe Leppo]

1630 Friday, 19 APR 13: Fleet Gym Yokosuka (LBS x Reps x Sets)
SQUAT: 45x10 / 135x5 / 185x3 / 235x2 / 275x1 Main Sets: 295x5,5,4 (Missed last Rep)
BENCH: 45x10 / 95x5 / 135x5 / 185x3 / 205x2 Main Sets: 225x3x3
POWER CLEAN: 45x5x2 / 65x5 / 85x3 / 115x2 / 125x1 Main Sets: 130x3x5

Missed Squat rep really pissed me off. 4th rep got out in front of mid-foot and I really had to fight to recover. After the hard grind on the 4th rep, I got stuck half way up out of the hole and had to use the safety pins to set the bar back down. I'm almost at the end of where linear progression (i.e. leg injury recovery) can take me anyway. Will be switching up programing soon.

Bench 3x3 was planned. I am tired of being unable to get past 220x5 while on my continued diet, so I mixed it up a little bit and went with the 3's. Had a trusted spotter tonight also.

[Joe Leppo]

1100 Sunday, 21 APR 13: Fleet Gym Yokosuka (LBS x Reps x Sets)
LIGHT SQUAT (80%): 45x10 / 135x5 / 185x3 / 225x2 Main Sets: 235x5x3
DEADLIFT: 135x5x2 / 185x5 / 235x3 / 275x1 Main Set: 320x5 w/Mixed Grip

This Sunday morning lifting is not working for me very well -- light squats felt heavy (again). Switching to 4-day split routine/programming this week. I had to tighten my belt another notch today--belly is getting smaller! If I can keep this up, I might just make it on the PFA/BF% measurement in a few weeks.

[Oldster]

Hotdog, Joe! Another notch on the old belt! Beautiful.

Now for the dumbest question ever. Can you lift onboard a ship? I would guess it would have to be a big damn boat, but are any big enough that weights are brought aboard? Machines? I always wondered, probably going to be as embarrassed as all get out....

[Joe Leppo]

Hotdog, Joe! Another notch on the old belt! Beautiful.

Now for the dumbest question ever. Can you lift onboard a ship? I would guess it would have to be a big damn boat, but are any big enough that weights are brought aboard? Machines? I always wondered, probably going to be as embarrassed as all get out....

Oldster,

The short answer is that it depends on the individual ship. There is no prescribed gym equipment load out (even within a particular ship-class), so each vessel is unique. I have served on 3x Cruisers (CG), 1x Destroyer (DDG), 1x Submarine (SSN), 1x Amphibious Command Ship (LCC), and am currently serving on an Aircraft Carrier (CVN). All had different equipment and different gyms.

My current ship, USS GEORGE WASHINGTON, has 3 dedicated gym spaces for weights & mostly machines. Lots of cardio machines scattered all over the place. However, this is the first ship I've served on that had an actual squat rack. (1 rack for 5000 people!) So, I'll be able to do something during the next deployment--but it will come down to trying to do what I can to maintain or limit losses until I'm back in port for more than a week or two. This upcoming deployment should (hopefully) be the last of my career. So, I'll do what I can--but it's going to suck from a training standpoint. Figure if I can squat, bench, press, and deadlift occasionally I'll be able to maintain some of my gains. I plan on focusing on pull-ups & chins while underway too. All of the plates are those God-forsaken octagonal iron grips, though. Makes it tough to deadlift properly.

-Joe

[Oldster]

Wow, great info, Joe. I thank you. Man, you've been around when it comes to different boats! That must be cool. I'm sure when you are retired and away, you will spend the rest of your life appreciating your memories of the world.

So my final question since you do have onboard gyms. Even though you are on a rolling ocean, things are stable enough onboard that you don't have to worry about losing any sort of balance with a bench press or squat? I understand these ships are gigantic, but surely there has to be some sort of movement you can feel?

[blandrick]

What rank are you, if you don't mind my asking? It looks like you've been in a while. Also, submarine duty? You have way more cahones than I do!

[Joe Leppo]

So my final question since you do have onboard gyms. Even though you are on a rolling ocean, things are stable enough onboard that you don't have to worry about losing any sort of balance with a bench press or squat? I understand these ships are gigantic, but surely there has to be some sort of movement you can feel?

On all my previous ships it was definitely a concern if you were doing anything with free weights. On the Carrier, not so much. If the flight deck is moving much it affects flight operations--so ship really doesn't move much. It would have to be typhoon-type heavy weather to smack us around. Just about the only time you if have a sensation of motion is when we perform a high speed turn during the aircraft recovery cycle, when you do experience some keel while the rudders are over full or hard. That being said, I'm pretty conservative when I lift on board. Now that I well past my initial linear progression, there won't be any 3 or 5RM PRs underway. From previous misguided/unwise attempts I discovered a 1/2 degree roll will completely alter the dynamics of a heavy Bench or Squat attempt--not in a good way!

[Joe Leppo]

What rank are you, if you don't mind my asking? It looks like you've been in a while. Also, submarine duty? You have way more cahones than I do!

Right now I'm an O-4 (LCDR) eagerly waiting to see if I will be selected for O-5 (CDR) or not--message should be out in mid-May. I came into the Navy as an Enlisted man in '95. My time on subs was when I was still a Machinist's Mate. I finished up my degree requirements while on active duty and then submitted an application to OCS when I was an E-5/Petty Officer Second Class (MM2(SS)). I actually enjoyed sub duty--once I got used to the lack of privacy and the tight spaces. It is not nearly as bad as many people think; you can get used to just about anything. However, I wouldn't want to go back to sub duty (due to the brutal underway schedules) now that I'm older and married with children.

[blandrick]

Right now I'm an O-4 (LCDR) eagerly waiting to see if I will be selected for O-5 (CDR) or not--message should be out in mid-May. I came into the Navy as an Enlisted man in '95. My time on subs was when I was still a Machinist's Mate. I finished up my degree requirements while on active duty and then submitted an application to OCS when I was an E-5/Petty Officer Second Class (MM2(SS)). I actually enjoyed sub duty--once I got used to the lack of privacy and the tight spaces. It is not nearly as bad as many people think; you can get used to just about anything. However, I wouldn't want to go back to sub duty (due to the brutal underway schedules) now that I'm older and married with children.

That's kind of how I feel about special operator type programs. I'd love the challenge of a PJ or Combat Controller program, but not while I'm married.