This month reflection is a little longer as it's a recap of the entire year, not just Dec 2023
Last day of the year looked like this.
600 PushUps and 125km short... morning of 31 Dec 2023
Wished it ended with a bang completing everything on my "Daily Salad" menu... but the "outstanding" pushups were all that were done. Any attempt for even one last regular 6km run was aborted because of the weather.
Looking back-- it's time to ask myself what's done, changed, improve and or regressed in this past 12 months?... on the things set out/ written down to do during 2023
Quite a list while things kept changing or added on as the months went by...
While the year saw me getting into a lot of weird stuff, the daily logging of the 6 fundamental exercises and running helps to foster the most important aspect for 2023.
CONSISTENCY
With this one word I don't need to look and think of "Discipline", "Motivation" and a whole other array of fancy vocabulary that clutter up the mind. Some might want to equate or switch it up with the word "discipline... well whatever... toe-may-toe or toe-mah-toe.. I just chose one which is easier to digest.
Not every month is consistent to the dot of course, because taking into accounts whether some months had more gym days heaving weights around, traveling constraints and or injuries to take care of.
Since getting a gym membership in Jul 2023-- it's been ramping up, not so much in frequency but in intensity and volume over the sessions. It does take a toll splicing weight training into my regular calisthenics and DOMS is very real. More importantly I have to take additional time or go lighter on some post gym days to not screw up with further joints issues at my age now.
But certainly, the "Daily Salad" tracking and all other notes taken like the gym-session logs is definitely one of the key tool for constant monitoring, reflection and analysis of what to do or change up next in my workouts for the months ahead.
First is of course Pull Ups.. my biggest obsession and the one exercise that got me started on this journey.
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| Year to Year average has been rather consistent |
Zooming in by the month and graphing it out with the rest of my notes tells a more detailed story of the past 18 months
Instead of madly trying to increase max reps in a few sets withing the shortest time like 2022... I began to do regulated sets, just 8 or 12 and increase the number of sets for the volume to match. Eg one thing I was "ingrained" to was trying to do 40 or more pulls in 4 sets under 8 minutes.
Which could go like 15, 13, 10, 9 = 45, all sets are to or near failure which really is taxing and last couple reps in each set often in less than decent forms.
Instead I change up and start pulling e.g. 12, 10, 10, 8 = 40 and on a good day with more rest in between, go for 11, 11, 10, 10 = 42. This way at most it's close to failure on the last 1-2 sets but at least all reps would still be in decent form.
Regulating in such manner helps the shoulder recovery and reduce further strain injuries on places like the elbows.
Not maxing out helps to keep joints and tendon issues in check. Realizing this, I applied to the rest as well while at the same time began to really focus on doing everything in GOOD FORM.
To keep up with the numbers while doing less per session-- I did more days of pull up per month. When traveling-- bring a pullup bar along as often I don't ever get to see one during work trips except to my company's factories with customers.
The GOOD FORM Approach
Perfecting forms often means reducing reps especially at the beginning. Because one is doing things "right", which requires a lot more focus and effort and not compensating the weaker muscles needed from other parts that would naturally try to take over.
Training for good form also increases our mental awareness and of course the best tools would be a mirror and a phone taking videos for post training analysis to troubleshoot what's not done right. This actually constitutes the majority of my Instagram posts... not having an account for showy stuff like influencers but using it as a diary of sorts and reminder to myself of what to do when looking back later on.
Jan - Apr 2023: Was living with a sh!tload of strain injuries from last year ; elbows to shoulders affecting all sorts of upper body mobility and more. Began working on mobility drills. Initially I couldn't even raise both hands straight up over the head and touch them!
Focusing on shoulder mobility daily was a journey in itself and all the "researching" work started again on this aspect. To use time more efficiently, I have also started on PROPRIOCEPTION training... some thing incessantly talked about in my postings this year... Recorded the ugliest first attempt at a pistol squat here.
This was also the period where flexibility training was started.. mostly passive stretching which I try to do everywhere including when on those 2 hr speedboat trips to my factory in Indonesia. However with so many things going on, this was given less focus in the later part of the year... Currently I'm just trying to maintain what it had progressed to but not really pushing to improve (for now)...
Since Apr 2023 - ...Running re-start
Decided to go back to more running by now. Whole of 2022 I only clocked 165km. A far cry of my 5000km in 2020 because of the strength training priority since Apr 2022. My base strength is more or less up to par by now so will have to focus on cardio work again.
One thing I been tracking was my "no training 2.4km" - a standard fitness test since army days which I still try to maintain my timing (according to my age band now, of course :) and been monitoring quarterly for a couple of years. It's a far cry from the memories of running my best timing of 8:15min when I was 19. To get full points for these 2 years I would still have to run below 10:20min though.... in my best showing below-- that's still 40s off the mark!
The intermediate goal at least for now is to keep it at sub 11 min pace/ km by just doing my regular 6-8km runs and occasional longer ones.
All in all with just about 7-8 months left when the decision to run more re-started -- total clocked was 575km for 2023 for the 12 months period together with my daily strength training. Traveling and short burst of hectic days of course puts a dent into everything including reps and mileage.
Overall the 2.4km timing improved over the year although with some lapse as seen above. But the positive part was how the overall regular running has improved in terms of pace. Of course I have to say that super bouncy pair of Xtep Recoil Pro helped a lot!
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| Pace progession 2023 |
Those that had been following my Instagram and Facebook knows my fetish for heart-rate training in running. Which is I'll strive for a low HR on average after factoring for weather, energy level etc. The magic number has always been 130bpm since I started to get the hang of it back in 2021. However, at that time my pace was only 6:40 - 7:00min/km (or 8.5 - 9.0km/hr) on average. On a "good" day it may be a little faster at around 9.3-9.5km/hr but still never a 6 or sub 6min/km.
Following the guidance by Mike Trees on IG after I re-started running has really helped. Now my current pace and HR is quite consistent within the range of 5:45 - 6:05min/km @ HR130-135, give and take a couple beats on a few of those days especially when its ridiculously hot and humid in the tropical weather here.
A few other notable things...
Balancing and Mobility
First half of 2023 was filled with the annoying aches and pain on the left shoulder. I have already put aside most of the training for things like muscleups, trying to wring myself over the bar explosively to avoid aggravating recovery. While undergoing TCM and sports massage therapy treatments-- it was just doing lots of rehab and strengthening and shoulder mobility. That's where "B-Stick" made it into my arsenal at home. a 1.5m long bamboo pole I used daily for my shoulder re-hab/ mobility drills before starting workout each day. It took like 2-3 months with a resistance band before I could even do it the first time around with the pole for "shoulder dislocation"
At the same time my progression on proprioception exercises since early in the year has gone forward from unilateral squats like shrimps and pistols to adding on a balance-board.
Ultimately, me being me again, combined everything to save time on training that now becomes the weekly test of stability-balance with mobility all compounded into one...
This doesn't take much strength but moving the body and limbs in 3-planes, X,Y and Z -- really messes up the mind to coordinate and to me this is a greater achievement than say getting another PR on benchpress, weighted squats or doing 30 pullups. This one really test the body + the mind together.
If anyone is interested after reading this:
- Start with getting good on the balance board (train until you balance on it for ~45s or more)
- Do the "Shoulder dislocation by itself on flat ground or kneeling
- When above 1 and 2 can be performed, combine them together
- Separately practice squatting while balancing (this is the hardest part to master for me)
- Combine 3 & 4 -- into one move like below
L sit Chin Ups - (OFP-001) Obsession For Perfection 1
One other thing that irks me was the less than decent form I had been doing for the L-sit ChinUps. Never quite able to fully extend arms without dropping the legs until I finally learned that it's all in the breathing!
Yes-- a lot with how the hip flexors are controlled in this exercise has to do with the timing of how you breathe-- the in and the outs need to be synchronized. Finally nail it ALMOST 1 year after I began my first ugly crooked legs LsCU and started the tracking of reps for this exercise.
The reason for doing L sit with Chin Ups and Pull Ups and added that on as part of the Daily Salad was for a few reasons
- L sit PullUps are much harder especially during the first few tries
- using L sit compounded exercises as one of the basic core exercise
- over time it just became a "habit" to do regularly.
Might move to L sit PullUps in 2024... let's see
DragonFlag - (OFP-002) Obsession For Perfection 2
I don't crunch, don't plank or do much of the usual core exercises often touted on youtubes and influencers social media. Dragonflags has been an obsession since my first utter failure in trying.... May 2022. Though I had it "nailed" by mid 2023 but never realized what I was doing wrong. Still it was taxing even though form wasn't quite right. Decided to do a 30rep for 30 days in Nov to ramp things up a bit until I finally realized what I had been doing wrong... after recording daily. But by end Nov -- I began to re-set doing it the right way...
Still have some tweaking to go...
PushUps - (OFP-003) Obsession For Perfection3
No fireworks for this department but mainly focus on forms and trying out a few different variations. Given the volume of workout, pushups are mainly fillers to get the pump. But having said I do notice significant improvement in my go-to default push; Diamond PushUps. Sets and reps are getting better throughout the year. To the point where I start thinking how to add more meaningful resistance to it.
Did lots of other variations even for standard push ups but in raised positions etc.
Knuckle Pike PushUps. Not so much to make it harder but in fact is easier due to a more neutral wrist position so that the Pike movement will really emphasize focus on the shoulders instead.
Adding on to shoulder training..formulated my own version of SkullCrusherPushUps at the park and at home
Dips
Not much to say as it's again another filler key exercise often done in circuits like Round The World. But came Sep-- surprise myself when i got my first few Elbow Dips... It mark the beginning of a little new routine where I will do 3 sets on the way to the gym each weekend... A weekly exercise. Being another shoulder focus move that also emphasizes on coordination of transitioning movement, I use that as sort of another progression step to MuscleUps training.
In summary. More regulated reps and sessions. Suppress the ego even more by focusing on forms over reps or weight moved. Tackle just a few new goals-- one at a time. Ok maybe a few together but again don't overdo or over-train. Rushing it will only impede progress. Lastly, take care of nutrition and rest/ recovery. Always remember, exercising is basically breaking down the body while training your motor skills and body controls-- its nutrition and rest that does the growth and development part when it comes to size and strength.
