Bodyweight Complexes and Conditioning

I have been working, just not positing - lots of writing assignments have occupying my typing time, which is a good thing for my wallet but not so good for blog updates.

This week has consisted of lots of bodyweight work, plyos, running, stair work and a fair share of mobility. To fit everything possible into my schedule I've done a bit of "greasing the groove" for push up variations and lower body movements throughout the day and working indoor conditioning in the evenings after the kids are in bed.

I've also taken to some after dinner walks with the kids now that the weather has broken and though that isn't quite as intense as some other things I do, we are all moving together and having fun and it's better than being planted in front of the monitor.

Runnin' Man

Took off of work today and that meant hitting the pavement this morning for some road work. It was cold and miserable, but that didn't effect the run at all - just under four miles, interspersed with some sprints and what I envision to be my "marathon pace."

Since adjusting my form, I don't feel any pain anywhere during or after running and I feel as though I'm moving much more efficiently, not too far back in the past an almost four mile run with lots of speed play (including sprints) would have had me sucking wind at the end - today I felt like a million bucks after cooling down and getting inside.

Still Nursing the Thumb

I've been putting in the work, but it's not been very exciting. The thumb of my left hand is still hurt, which has meant virtually no weight training and certainly no grip training. My workouts have pretty much been conditioning based with some body weight strength training (mostly leg, along with some dips and such, nothing that will further aggravate the injury).

On the up side, my wind seems to be improving pretty quickly and from the body weight movements that I've been doing, it doesn't really seem as though I'm losing any strength, but we'll test that out for sure once the thumb has completely healed!

Best Hydration Belt

Planning on taking on my first marathon this fall has me doing quite a bit of conditioning work in addition to my "normal" training - and now that the weather has finally seemed to break, I've actually gotten outside on some training runs. The longer the training run that you're planning, the more important it is to have a convenient way to hydrate yourself - sure you could carry a bottle (and some people prefer this method), but it's easier for me to maintain proper mechanics and get the most out of a long run if I don't have to worry about holding onto something for God knows how many miles.

So - for those of you who are avid runners looking for the best possible hydration belt, or for those of you who are just getting ready to take part in the wonders of scampering tons of miles per week (with or without a race goal in mind), I give you the # 1 pick for hydration...

The Run Lite 3 from Amphipod is so lightweight that you barely realize it's there, but it hugs tight enough to stay exactly where it's supposed to without bouncing around as you pound the pavement, track or trail.

The beauty of this belt (and the entire Run Lite line from Amphipod) is that you can truly make it your own. If you are going out on a three mile "out and back" that you are greatly familiar with, you can pop one bottle into the clip and have enough to get you through your run without adding any extra weight. If you opt to go on an a wild excursion that will last much of the day you can add extra bottles to the belt, but position them at any place you choose so you can be completely comfortable even though you are carrying enough to hydrate an army.

The Run Lite 3 is just about the easiest belt to use as well, rather than fumbling with pockets and pouches - the bottles snap into clips so easily and securely that you can remove and replace them with one hand, but with no fear that they'll come loose and hit the pavement after heavy jostling.

The Amphipod Run Lite 3 is the most comfortable, most convenient and easiet to use hydration belt that I've ever tried - for long or short runs, that's why it takes the top spot on the list of best hydration belts:

Amphipod Run Lite 3
Awarded Best Hydration Belt Overall

Conditioning and Thumb Injury

I honestly don't know exactly how it happened, I didn't feel anything until a while after my workout the other night - no pull, no pop, not even a twinge but about an our after my indian club workout a few days back I felt a deep ache at the base of my thumb. At first I didn't think a whole lot of it, but it hasn't really shown much sign of improvement - it's pretty much holding me up from doing any serious strength work involving my left hand.

Sooooo, my workouts have been focused on the conditioning side for the last few days. I've been doing stair sprints, plyos, hill sprints, high rep bodyweight squats and chair squats - my quads are suffering, but in a good way.

I've waded my way through about half of Born to Run in the little free time I get at night after the kids are in bed, and so far it just keeps getting better and better.

Last Night's Workout & Reading

Last night's workout consisted of supersets of deadlifts and clean & press.

This was a combination that I have never done before in a superset - one word that comes to mind is Brutal! I kept the weights relatively light and worked with purpose throughout - no wasted time or movement and it didn't take too long to feel all but spent.

After a few minutes of recovery from the supersets, I spent a little time with my homemade indian clubs and working on general mobility. Overall it was a great workout, and though I expected to feel it a bit today I'm a little surprised by just how much the clean & press effected me (in a good way though).

Once workout and shower were done, I settled down and started reading Born to Run, which arrived on my doorstep yesterday afternoon. I cruised through the first few chapters prior to bed time and am thus far very impressed - you can expect a review once I've finished it.

Outrageous Feat of Strength

Just stumbled upon this video of Rob Russell flipping an 80k kettlebell - not 80 pound, 80k. For those of you not in the mood to do the math, or away from a program that will do the calculation for you - that is around 176 lbs.

I've juggled kettlebells quite a bit, have played around with some interesting techniques and practiced with what I thought were some pretty heavy bells considering - but this feat is absolutely incredible.