BWare's Novice Training Log

[Bruce Ware]

10/20 part 2 --

Workout on the ergo to make up for this morning's rowing cancellation. Two great rounds of 15 minute intervals at 20 strokes per minute rate, and my average 500 meter split times continue to drop and distance covered continues to increase. With the rate staying constant, this means that the objective - getting more efficient at rowing (better form, better posture, better leg drive, better recovery) - is being achieved. And those things translate onto the water quite well. I'll do 2 more rounds tomorrow - probably after lifting.

[Bruce Ware]

10/21 Session 1 of TM1-1

Intensity Squat

Warm-ups: 45 x 5 x 2
135 x 5
185 x 5
225 x 3
275 x 2

Working set: 335 x 5; represents a new "5RM"; as part of this phase, each week will be a test of a new 5RM

Volume Deadlift

Opened with Power Cleans, practice hang position and jumping with bar; 45 x 3 x 5; just want to get used to this movement pattern and add a little more weight next time

Warm-ups: 135 x 5
185 x 5
225 x 5

Working sets: 290 x 5 x 3

Pressing Assist -- Dips: 8 x 3

Added a little bonus routine called Beefcake 1; 3 supersets --

Close-grip push-ups: 10
Assisted pull-ups: 6
EZ Bar tricep extensions (skull crushers): 30 x 12

[Bruce Ware]

10/22 Session 22-2 (TM1-2)

Today is a heavy bench, a vol press, and a pulling assist; I used BB Shrugs for this.

Bench --

Warm-ups: 45 x 5 x 2
135 x 5
185 x 5
225 x 3
275 x 2

Working set: 170 x 5; plus 5 next time.

Press --

Warm-ups: 45 x 5 x 2
95 x 5
105 x 3

Working sets: 110 x 5 x 5

Shrugs -- 275 x 5 x 3

I concluded with 2 15-minute interval rowing rounds at 20 s/m, which completes my third homework assignment for the week. Tomorrow is an active rest day, and I will use the time to do 2 rounds of 10-minute intervals at a 26 s/m rate; I plan to complete this fourth assignment on Friday.

[Bruce Ware]

10/24 (late entry from yesterday's active rest)

Rowing homework on the ergo, 2 rounds of 10 minutes at a 26 s/m rate. I've managed to trim about 9 seconds off my previous average 500 meter split time for this exercise. It's pretty easy to keep this rate for 10 minutes. I'm just surprised at how badly my calves cramped up later on in the evening.

I have my next lifting session planned for later today, and will also need to do another 10-minute@26 round, either before or after. It's a heavy deadlift and volume squat day, so I don't know if the rowing will be feasible, but we'll see how it goes and I'll post here later.

[Bruce Ware]

10/24 Session 22-3

Opened with two rounds of 10 minute rowing ergo intervals at 26 s/m. I'm not making excuses, but I think it may have adversely affected my deadlift performance, even though I took a pretty long break afterwards.

Heavy deadlift --

Warm-ups: Power clean technique drills 45 x 3 x 5
D/L- 135 x 5
185 x 5
225 x 5
275 x 3

Working set: 330 x 2 -- F. A solid grind for 5 seconds, but could not clear third rep over my knees. It was off the ground, but I just couldn't finish standing up. Next time, stay at 330 and aim for 2 sets of 3 reps.

Squat volume --

Warm-ups: 45 x 5 x 2
135 x 5
185 x 5
225 x 3
275 x 2

Working sets: 290 x 5 x 5

Ring Dips (press assist) -- 8 x 3

"Beefcake1" -- 3 x supersets -- close-grip pushups x 15, assisted pullups x 8, ez skull crushers x 15 @ 30#.

Going out of town tomorrow afternoon, so will delay the last workout of the week until Sunday night or Monday, whenever I get back. Missing rowing practice this weekend, too, but I'm hoping that good results on the ergo homework are enough to convince the coach not to demote me again for next weekend's season finale race.

[Bruce Ware]

10/28 Session 22-4; should have been done last Friday, but I was on travel for a long weekend.

Heavy Press, volume bench, and a pulling assist.

Press --

Warm-ups: 45 x 5 x 2
95 x 3
105 x 1

Working set: 125 x 5; a new PR all-time for the press for me. Plus 2.5 for next time.

Bench Press --

Warm-ups: 45 x 5 x 2
95 x 5
135 x 3

Working sets: 150 x 5 x 5

BB Row (pull assist) -- 170 x 8 x 3

I opened the session with a "golf scores" ergo rowing exercise as a warm-up; I actually managed to get a couple of 9's this time!

[Bruce Ware]

10/29 - I was intending to start the next "week" today, having done Friday's workout yesterday. But, I must have been positioned badly during sleep or at the office (I know my office chair is just terrible for posture), and my lower back and hip area has been feeling tweaked all day. I did some warm-up weight squats, but stopped after 185 because it just felt awkward and off-balance. I'll resume on 10/30 and re-start the "Monday" workout.

[Bruce Ware]

11/2 (strange week, multiple entries to get caught up)

10/30 Session 23-1, heavy squat/romanian deadlift/dips/beefcake; resumed from yesterday's shorted start

Warm-up with 15 minutes on the rowing ergo, doing my "golf scores" homework. Managed a couple of 9's, but mostly 10's.

Squat --

Warm-ups: 45 x 5 x 2
135 x 5
185 x 5
225 x 3
275 x 2

Working set: 340 x 5; plus 5 next time.

Added some volume -- 255 x 10 x 2; aim to do x 3 next time.

RDL -- (used in lieu of regular deadlift to improve the areas where I am apparently sticking in my movement)

Warm-ups: 135 x 5
185 x 5
225 x 5
275 x 3

Working sets: 295 x 5 x 3

Dips -- 8 x 3

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10/31 Session 23-2, heavy bench, volume press, pull assist

Bench Press --

Warm-ups: 45 x 5 x 2
95 x 5
135 x 3

Working set: 175 x 5; plus 4 next time (I don't have the right combination of little plates to do 180, so I'll short this one, and if successful, jump to 185 for the session after that).

Added extra volume -- 135 x 10, 10, 6; aim for 10 on all 3 sets next time.

Press --

Warm-ups: 45 x 5 x 2
95 x 5
105 x 3

Working sets: 112.5 x 5 x 5

Rack Pulls (pulling assist) -- 275 x 5 x 3

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11/2 Rowing

Last practice session before tomorrow's race, about 5K. I'm sitting seat #6 on the "JV" boat, which I did not want to be - but I'm also the only man on the boat, and coach wants to push for a decent performance from the ladies on that boat. We have ~17 novice rowers contesting for 16 seats, and one guy is being left out. A shame, but he is significantly overweight; he had been the "guy" for the JV boat for most of season, but the coach can't really use him at his level of performance. Down-side is that the JV line-up has changed just about every session since the Long Row, and they just can't develop any sense of team flow. I'll deliver the best I can, and plan for making the competitive men's team next year.

[Bruce Ware]

11/4 Yesterday's race - a 5K row. I was seat #6 in the "JV" boat, a line-up that was only made final the previous day. Our head coach played coxswain for the race, after scrambling around the hour before we launched to find a coxswain. He did not fine one, so had to do it himself, and he did a great job. The warm-up moving out to the marshaling area included some fine-tuning on basics, which several of the ladies needed significantly. (He later said he could have spent more time working on those few, but we needed to get to the starting line. LOL)

Well, long-and-short, we finished 4 seconds behind the boat that started 20 seconds ahead of us, indicating a very strong performance. The race results showed that we knocked almost 3 minutes off the race time the boat had turned in the previous week. Joking with the girls and coach, I said, "You're welcome." I was the only addition to the crew, with a few changes in position made by the other rowers (a new stroke, a different girl sitting at bow, and so on).

So, my novice season is over on a solid high note, and I'll be spending the off-season getting stronger and working on improving my rowing technique.

[Bruce Ware]

11/4 Session 23-3 (heavy deadlift, volume squat, press assist)

Opened with a "beefcake" subroutine:

CG Push-ups -- 18 x 3
Pull-ups (assisted) -- 10 x 3
EZ Bar Tricep Exts -- 40 x 15 x 3

Deadlift --

Warm-ups: 185 x 5
225 x 5
275 x 3

Working set: 330 x 3, F; I had planned on hitting 5 reps, or if that didn't work, going for 2 sets of 3 reps. I managed 3 solid reps on the set, took a good 5 minute rest, but didn't have anything left for the second set. Couldn't even budge it off the floor. I'll keep working on the pulling assist exercises, and try for (either) a set of 5 or 2 sets of 3 at 330# again next week.

Squat --

Warm-ups: 135 x 5
185 x 5
225 x 5
275 x 3

Working sets: 295 x 5 x 5

Ring Dips: 8 x 3

With the end of the rowing season, we will probably re-start our dancing classes on Tuesday eves. I will be adjusting my lift training week to work around that.