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Crystal's Training


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Yay! Finally starting a training log here .

 

My goals are to be able to maintain my health well enough to be able to continue to lift heavy weights, go rock climbing, and hiking (or other outdoorsy stuff in general). For those who don't know me (or don't know), I have Rheumatoid Arthritis and when it flares-up, I can't hardly move, let alone workout, go to school, work, etc. Right now I'm on some decent medications that keep things under some degree of control, but the new problem is that they supress my immune system, so I get sick all the time (I currently have a sinus infection ) and I have to get my blood checked all the time to monitor other bad side effects. I can't run at all anymore, and cycling is out as well. I can walk, swim, and use most low-impact cardio machines. I'm not supposed to lift as heavy as I once did, but that is harder to do

 

So, with that in mind, and having taken the last 6 weeks off of training due to a Geology Field Class, I hit the gym again today for a nice "Welcome Back" session .

 

25 June 2007 - Monday

 

Squat:

4 x pistol squats

10 x bar

10 x 65 lbs

10 x 95 lbs

10 x 135 lbs - whoa, too much for first day back,

10 x 95 lbs

10 x 95 lbs

 

SLDL: 5 x bar, mostly to stretch out hamstrings, paused at the bottom

 

OH Press:

10 x bar

10 x bar

10 x bar

 

DB Bench:

10 x 20s

10 x 20s

10 x 20s

 

Didn't feel like much weight on my back, but boy where my muscles feeling it, my legs are even wobbly after that little bit! Oh well, gotta ease back into these thing .

 

My plan is to do similar stuff like this all week, then next week start to up the weight and sets, and lower the reps in a standard 3-day split, and through in some more lifts. I'm keen on a good 'ol 5x5 routine, but I'm not entirely sure what the plan will be. I hope to rock climb once or twice a week, even if only at the local rock wall, and go hiking once a week because I've really got a feel for it after my geology class. Some days may be hiking and climbing combined, depends on where I go.

 

Good times ahead!

Edited by Crystal
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Hi Crystal!

I'm very glad you are back and thanks for sharing a little about your situation! I have a similar situation with health problems and can really relate. I support your efforts to be healthy 100% and promise to keep up with your progress on this online journal

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Thanks all, its good to be back

 

26 June 2007 - Tuesday

Went climbing at a rock wall in Juarez, Mexico last night for about an hour. Its nice there because its quick and easy to access, and free!

 

Mostly worked on a roof problem set up under the stairs, but warmed-up on the traverse around the bottom of the tower. Good times, except my legs are SORE from Monday's squat session!

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v389/vegancrystal/climbing/DSCF1923.jpg

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Crystal i read an article on the BBC they have found that echinacea can reduce symptoms of flu and cold and shorten the duration of illness. Supplementing with this stuff might help you out. Does eating things like pineapple and taking glucosamine help to reduce damage from the arthritis?

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Thanks for the advice CollegeB, I've been taking zinc and vitamin C, but no echinacea right now, I'll have to pick some up sometime soon and give it a whirl. As for the glucosamine, I only recently stopped taking it after about 6 months 'cause it didn't seem to do anything .

 

27 June 2007 - Wednesday

 

Bench:

10 x bar

10 x 65 lbs

10 x 75 lbs

10 x 85 lbs

10 x 85 lbs

9 x 85 lbs

 

Dips:

3 x 5 x bw

 

CGBP:

10 x bar

10 x 55 lbs

10 x 65 lbs

 

DB Hammer Curls:

10 x 12.5s

8 x 17.5s

8 x 17.5s

 

*stretching

 

Phew, what a workout, this one really drained me and I was shaky the whole way through, welcome back to weights indeed!

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29 June 2007 - Friday

 

Deadlift:

10 x 135 lbs

10 x 155 lbs

10 x 165 lbs

10 x 175 lbs

 

DB Shrugs:

20 x 40s

15 x 40s

15 x 40s

 

*stretching

 

The gym closed early so skipped doing barbell bent rows (and had to stretch out in the hallway), but I'll make up for it with lots of climbing tomarrow

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2 July 2007 - Monday

 

Squat:

6 x pistol squats (ie. one leg sqts)

10 x bar

10 x 75 lbs

10 x 105 lbs

3 x 10 x 135 lbs

 

SLDL:

10 x bar

10 x 65 lbs

10 x 75 lbs - all paused at the bottom

 

Superset of

Leg Ext: 3 x 10 x 20 lbs

Leg Curl: 3 x 10 x 20 lbs (both one leg at a time)

 

Standing Calf:

3 x 15 x 200 lbs

 

*stretching

 

Not a bad day

 

 

3 July 2007 - Tuesday - Stupid gym is closed tomarrow for Independance Day, so moved my bench day to today.

 

Bench:

10 x bar

10 x 65 lbs

10 x 85 lbs

3 x 4 x 95 lbs - curses! Was going for 3 x 6

 

Dips:

5 x bw

6 x bw

6 x bw

 

Skull Crushers:

3 x 10 x 35 lbs

 

DB Hammer Curls:

10 x 15s

8 x 17.5s

6 x 20s

 

*light stretching (so sore from yesterday)

 

Decent session, could have cranked out one or two more reps on the bench but I had no spotter as usual. Oh well, upward and onward!

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4 July 2007 - Wednesday - Happy Independance Day Everyone!

~3 hours of hiking in the Franklin Mountains. I was planning on more, but my legs were still sore and my cardio sucks! Next week I'll try to go a little further a little faster

 

View of how far I made it (road in distance is ~where I started):

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v389/vegancrystal/Hiking%20et-al/DSCF0009.jpg

 

View of northwest El Paso, with cool cloud + shadow:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v389/vegancrystal/Hiking%20et-al/DSCF0010.jpg

 

And it wouldn't be a good hike without a cool critter shot:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v389/vegancrystal/Hiking%20et-al/DSCF0023.jpg

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Hey VI: exercise definatly helps! Keeps things mobile. If I sit in one place to long, I stiffen up all over and its hard to get going again.

 

6 July 2007 - Friday

Went bouldering out at Pena Blanca, from 6 p.m. until just before midnight. Night climbing is fun . Here is a video (before it got dark out) of me climbing a problem called "The Shield". V0, the crux is at the top and I have yet to top this one out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4ZOA7JggYw

Yes, feel free to laugh at my friend who tilted the camera on its side towards the end .

 

And then of course there was a rattle snake in the path on the way back to our cars:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v389/vegancrystal/Critters/PenaSnake.jpg

 

 

7 July 2007 - Saturday

 

DL: (wahoo! I deadlifts)

10 x 135 lbs

10 x 155 lbs

10 x 165 lbs

10 x 175 lbs

10 x 185 lbs

 

BB Bent Rows:

10 x bar

10 x 65 lbs

10 x 75 lbs

 

DB Shrugs:

3 x 20 x 35s

 

*stretching

 

Good to be in the gym, but my hands are raw from climbing! Makes it painful to grip the bar.

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Here is a video (before it got dark out) of me climbing a problem called "The Shield". V0, the crux is at the top and I have yet to top this one out:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4ZOA7JggYw.
Good show! Are those tattoos on your arms or just dirt?
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6 July 2007 - Friday

Went bouldering out at Pena Blanca, from 6 p.m. until just before midnight. Night climbing is fun . Here is a video (before it got dark out) of me climbing a problem called "The Shield". V0, the crux is at the top and I have yet to top this one out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4ZOA7JggYw

I could never rock climb. I would fall flat on my arse.
7 July 2007 - Saturday

DL: (wahoo! I deadlifts)

Who doesn't?
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Are those tattoos on your arms or just dirt?

Its a tattoo! D'oh, stupid low-quality video.

 

@VM: I fall on my arse all the time, that's what crash-pads are for!

 

9 July 2007 - Monday

 

Squat:

6 x pistol sqts

10 x bar

10 x 95 lbs

10 x 135 lbs

10 x 155 lbs

10 x 155 lbs

8 x 155 lbs

 

SLDL:

10 x bar

10 x 75 lbs

10 x 95 lbs

All with pauses at the bottom, such a good stretch!

 

Superset of:

Leg Ext: 3 x 10 x 25 lbs - one leg at a time

Leg Curl: 3 x 10 x 25 lbs - also one leg at a time

 

Standing Calf:

3 x 15 x 220 lbs

 

*stretching

 

Darn, couldn't quite finish out the last 2 reps on squat, it dropped to the pins on my 9th rep like there was a magnet pulling it down or something! Oh well, its about time I started dropping reps and upping weight a little anyway .

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10 July 2007 - Tuesday

 

Bench:

10 x bar

10 x 75 lbs

10 x 85 lbs

5 x 95 lbs

5 x 95 lbs

3 x 100 lbs

 

Dips:

3 x 8 x bw

 

Rope Tricep:

10 x 50 lbs - easy

10 x 60 lbs - hum, still easy

10 x 70 lbs - starting to feel it!

Drop down set from 100 lbs to 30 lbs (in 10 lbs increments) - ouch!

 

DB Hammer Curl:

10 x 17.5s

10 x 17.5s

4 x 20s - d'oh!

 

*light stretching

 

I've been having a lot of fun at the gym lately, hope it keeps up .

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13 July 2007 - Friday

Wee bit of climbing today. Really just exploring a new route that recently re-opened in the mountains in town. It was a hot day so didn't get very far

 

14 July 2007 - Saturday

 

DL:

10 x 135 lbs

10 x 165 lbs

10 x 185 lbs

3 x 8 x 205 lbs

 

BB Bent Rows:

10 x bar

10 x 65 lbs

8 x 85 lbs

 

DB Shrugs:

20 x 35s

20 x 40s

20 x 40s

 

*stretching

 

Was going to get out early this Sunday morning for a bit of hiking, but didn't sleep to great Saturday night (must be the heat), so ended up sleeping in until it was too hot to go out . Oh well, this is El Paso's off season for that sort of stuff anyway.

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17 July 2007 - Tuesday

 

Squats:

6 x pistol sqts

10 x bar

10 x 95 lbs

10 x 135 lbs

8 x 165 lbs

6 x 165 lbs

7 x 165 lbs - hum, so much for 8 reps on those last three sets there

 

Overloads/Rack Walk-outs:

10 sec x 185 lbs

10 sec x 225 lbs

10 sec x 275 lbs

10 sec x 315 lbs - crushes SO good

 

SLDL:

10 x bar

10 x 95 lbs

10 x 115 lbs

 

Superset of:

Leg Ext: 3 x 10 x 30 lbs

Leg Curl: 3 x 10 x 30 lbs

As always with these, I work one leg at a time, right leg is finally starting to catch up to the left

 

Standing Calf:

3 x 15 x 240 lbs

 

*stretching

 

Legs felt weak during the squats, but that's okay. Its getting better all the time

 

Oh, also did 1 hour 40 minutes of walking Monday around the mountains in town. Good times

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