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| Yr-Yr Summary and Monthly Average for consistency tracking |
Half the year gone by and first semester "report card" as reflected above. Today is exactly one year that the Excel training log and wordy version on this blog was started with arduous recording daily.
Yes, all 365 days and not missing a beat, typing down on my phone often during the rest intervals between sets to ensure not missing anything. Run training, nutrition and other stuffs have their respective data sheets too. But there is always much more than a few numbers can elude to.
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| Jun 2023 daily recording... started extracting resting Heart Rate data from HRM since May into here |
Pullups has settled into a consistent monthly average. 2022 pulls statistics were low in the beginning (July) and got ballistic in Aug, Oct, Nov and Dec. Sep was a month of tendinitis recovery. This year its cruising along around the same numbers monthly including the frequency of days that goes without. Likewise for L-sit.Chin.Ups, a better consistency from month to month has been achieved this year.
More abs work meant more Dragon-flags in 2023, a natural progression. Started in Oct 2022, this exercise was hard and harder to chalk up big numbers last year. Over time it has become a staple and something I really like because of the intensity. A move that "serves up the full course of abs" and more. I consider it more of a full body exercise with "extras" added for the core. Pretty much skipped things like crunches and planking altogether. Never like sit ups all my life. Its just a really dumb exercise (at least for me).
Squats was the last of the 3 "daily staples" that started off late in 2022, in Oct. Air-squats are not hard, thus easy to work the numbers higher in the beginning. But as of Mar - Apr this year-- many of the squat numbers transitioned to unilateral movements as routines were adjusted. Naturally the quantity drops as these are harder and take longer time to execute for every rep while trying to maintain stability and balance.
Moreover since Apr, the mileage in running has picked up as well. Makes it really hard to keep up with all the shrimp and pistol squats with the added running. The progress and gains from the current combo of run and squats for the legs is definitely noticeable though. Stability and balance (proprioception) has vastly improved as a result. Standing still on one leg now as a testament is really a no-brainer now. I can pretty much can do it till I fall asleep standing 😊
The current challenge is to get the pistol squat in good tight form and start working on Dragon-Squats. But quite frankly, Pistol squats, like Muscle-Up training has not really been a priority. Ability to do some half-baked ones "on-demand" is a result of strengthening from doing my more consistent crooked-version of the Shrimp Squat. It's again the case of just having "so many things too little time" issue.
Therefore I prioritize balance and stability training overall as opposed to trying to perfect showy moves on social media. Videos and pictures taken during workout are most often a result of identifying weaknesses and noting on areas of improvements that can be made.
But with the other things I want to do in 2H 2023-- like resurrecting my holding
side kick (below), I probably will put more emphasis on Pistol Squat
next because of needed hip mobility.
The lower body gains in various aspects while seeing quantity drops-- is reinforcement to the fact and mentality of keeping to "Don't Count Reps but Make Reps Count" Ego knows by now it is utterly defeated as the results of keeping to proper training and focus on forms instead of just churning out higher numbers is so blatantly in its face.
Mobility- Slow and painful but still working on the shoulder as I type. Another area to work on for mobility is opening up the hip joints further.
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| Working on the holding sidekick after a ~30 yrs hiatus... Kicking higher than necessary only because to give everything a good stretch during this training phase. Not for practical purposes. Once I have gotten back up to speed and agility, there's only one benchmark to strive towards for effective combat skills honing... just like yesteryears. |
Spicing it up...
As with every month, I'll try a couple of things and decide if its time to add something new. Still not comfortable with the left shoulder to get back into frequent explosive intensity movements for Muscle-Up training.
However, started doing Straight Bar Dips again. Everyday after coming down from the car park at the new cartoon-ish kiddle pullup structure, a few steps away. This also serves as a pre-warmup session before getting home to start my daily evening session.
Another of my fitness life-hacks to doing multiple things/ achieve different results in the shortest time.
Stretching and Mobility especially for lower body joints, goes hand in hand. The initial enthusiasm re-starting the stretch training in Jan has somehow gotten lackluster and was floundering by May... Re-jigged the mental state to push myself this month. Have to start from almost "zero" once again...
Most day's workout starts with a default short session of shoulder mobility as warmups. Bands pulling for the usual rotator cuff exercises, outstretched hands thumbing in all directions and "shoulder dislocation" has become a norm. Also adding Scapula Pushup/ Rotation into the mix since Jun.
Front Lever-- this one was just out of curiosity. I knew even before attempting that this is way beyond my current level of capability. It will remain in the back-burner with an occasional attempt for the time being whenever mounting the bar... Meantime will work on my Dragon Flag as a "precursor"/ foundational building up to this. If it still doesnt work by then-- at least (hopefully) my cores andmid body stability would still have improved as a result of all those work.
Ok long enough for this month. Most important lesson that remains is - CONSISTENCY. Something I gotten better. Being away from the usual comfort of familiarity is no excuse to couch. Frequent short trips of 1-2 days to the factories with customers interspersed within every month is a given with my workscope...
No time? Find time then. Always keep a lookout of what's usable-- yes even in the most unlikely places like the remote location of my workplace production facilities, there is always something that can be done... after a long day.
