Best Albums of 2013

TThese are my top 21 picks for best albums in 2013. I don't listen to much hip hop or Top 40 pop. I can't stand Kanye West, Justin Beiber, Chris Brown, or any of those kind of punks, so I've never listened to a minute of their albums. They may be genius, I guess I'll never know. I don't mind Miley Cyrus or Katy Perry, but I've never listened to their new albums this year. That being said, here's my list:

1. Fidlar- s/t

2. The Devil Makes Three - Stranger

3. Division of Laura Lee - Tree

4. Modern Life is War - Fever Hunting

5. Nine Inch Nails - Hesistation Marks

6. Queens of the Stone Age - ...Like Clockwork

7. Arcade Fire - Reflektor

8. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Mosquito

9. Franz Ferdinand - Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action

10. Deerhunter - Monomania

And in no such order the last eleven:

Sleigh Bells - Bitter Rivals

Off With Their Heads - Home

Bleached - Ride Your Heart

Pissed Jeans - Honeys

Haim - Days Are Gone

Touché Amour - Is Survived By

Marnie - Crystal World

Jayke Orvis & The Broken Band - Bless This Mess

Chvrches - Bones of What You Believe

Dean Blunt - Redeemer

Hank 3 - Brothers of the 4x4

Happy New Year!!!

- Almost forgot about Daft Punk's new album. I dug it. I'd definately put it on the list.

End of the Year Round-Up

How did the holidays treat ya?? Mine were good. Full of family, friends, and FOOD!! They went by incredibly too quick. Did get to spend some time with both of my grandmothers, which doesn't happen too often. My mom's mom is 89, my father's is 84. Both are not in the best of health and their memories aren't anywhere close to what they used to be. I'm happy I got to see them both and give them hugs.

I only worked Monday, Friday, and Saturday so I got a few decent workouts in. Here goes:

Thursday: Zim took my Jeep into work so I was left at home with no car. He had his car in for inspection. Garage workout time! I wanted to do a light upper body workout.

5 minute warm-up

Shoulder press

In & out hammers

Curls

Overhead medicine ball tricep presses

Dips (10)

Standing band rows

Curls/Hammers

Push-Ups (7)

REPEAT

2 and 1/2 mile run.

DONE!

Weights were 15lbs, medicine ball is 10lbs. 1st set is 10 reps, 2nd is 8 reps.

Saturday: BEAUTIFUL weather out but a little wet out. Sunny, mid 50s. The trail was calling my name. I ran a nice 3 mile. Felt great after all to 20-30 degree weather we've been having lately.

Sunday: A total wash out. It poured all day. I went to the gym to ride the elliptical and to watch the 2nd half of the Chelsea v Liverpool match. I did 35 minutes and watched Chelsea win 2-1. Sweet! Even sweeter with the Eagles beating the Cowboys last night! 

Monday: Last upper body workout of the year.

5 minute warm-up

Lawnmowers (18lb)

In & out biceps

Tricep kickback 

Push-ups

Shoulder press

Hammers

Dips (20)

Push-ups

Sit down pull down bands

Curls

Standing pull down bands triceps

Push-ups

Shoulder shrugs

Curls/hammers

Medicine ball overhead triceps (10lb)

Push-ups

REPEAT

1 mile run

DONE!!

Weight is at 15lbs. 1st set 10 reps, 2nd at 8 reps.

Cheers!!!

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve is here! Zim's family will be here in less than an hour so I'm spending a whole 15 minutes to myself. I'm gonna need it after all that cooking! Here's the early week workouts:

Monday (got a chance to fit it in):

5 minute warm-up

Shoulder press

Hammers

Dips (20)

5 push-ups

Upright rows

Curls

Tricep kickback

5 push-ups

Lawnmowers

Standing Band rows

Overhead tricep press

5 push-ups

Shoulder shrug

In & out biceps

Band tricep pull-down

5 push-ups

REPEAT

1 mile jog; cool down

DONE!!

1st set 10 reps, 2nd set 8. All weights 15lb, except overhead triceps 12, lawnmowers 18, and shoulder shrugs 30.

Tuesday (today):

Gym day!

1/4 mile warm-up jog

Leg extension (70, 80, 95)

Leg flexion (70,80,95)

Calf raise (140,160,180)

Hip abduction (115, 125, 135)

Hip adduction (105, 115, 120)

Body squats

Lunges

20 minutes on the elliptical.

Stretch

DONE

Merry Christmas!!!

...Right Around the Corner

Only a two more days till Christmas! Everyone done their shopping and wrapped?? I am finally done all that stuff today. I had gift cards to wrap and a couple cards to sign. And I fit in some baking of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies too! All that's left is the fish market for our 7 fishes dinner on Christmas Eve. 

The weather has turned from frigid not rising above 25 degrees to almost 70 degrees this weekend. All last week's snow is gone and melted. Nutty. I took advantage of the weather on Saturday and got a nice little 3 and 1/4 mile run in. Saturday the temperatures peaked around 60, but the trails were still snow and slush covered. I definately wasn't setting any speed records. Felt great to get outside and run with a light hoody on. Today it was warm but raining off and on, so it was to the gym to ride the elliptical for 35 minutes while watching football.

Tomorrow I'm running to the fish market with my mother-in-law in the morning to get a jump on the seven fishes. Hopefully I'll have time for my usual upper body workout in the garage. If not, oh well. At least we should be able to get a better selection of fish then on Christmas Eve. Last year the selection was more than great, but this week plenty of people have off Monday now too. Better to be safe then sorry. 

Merry Christmas and happy holidays if I don't find time to post in the next two days! Enjoy!

'Twas The Week Before Christmas...

Next week already?! Man, December is flying right on by! This weekend we had another round of snowstorms and ice. Nothing crippling, but enough to make you hibernate at home all weekend. I didn't get a chance to run outside but I made it to my gym for an elliptical workout on Saturday morning before the snow started and I had a nice half hour/45 minute shoveling workout yesterday. I would have rather ran. Running and ice just don't get along with me. I did get a mile in today! It was cold, but it felt good! Here's the morning workout:

5 minute warm-up/stretch

Upright rows

In & out bicep curls

Dips (20)

5 push-ups

Lawnmowers

Hammers

Overhead tricep press

5 push-ups

Shoulder press

Concentration curls

Tricep band pull-down 

5 push-ups

Shoulder shrugs

Standing band row

Tricep kickback

5 push-ups

REPEAT

1 mile jog

Cool down/stretch

DONE!

1st set 10, 2nd set 8. All 15lb except lawnmowers, 18lb, overhead tricep, 12lb, and shoulder shrugs, 30lbs.

Playlist: Rival Mob, Shark Soup

More Snow

The Philadelphia region got about 3-6 inches of snow today. In my area, we got about 3 or 4. Nothing all that bad, but the underneath layer of slush that turned to ice made roads a little tricky. People were panicked around here a bit. Morning and afternoon non-stop news coverage, traffic warnings, the stay home paranoia. It really wasn't that bad though. Since we haven't gotten any significant snowfall in the past 3 years, folk around here have forgottened how to drive in the snow. And jeez, a few years ago we had record snowfall. How soon we forget.

Today was my day off so I didn't have to deal with that snowy AM rush. I decided around 10am to get my ass in gear and get a small legs workout in. Here goes:

5 minute warm-up

Calf squats

Hammers

Power knee

1 minute run in place

Lunges

Curls

Weighted calf raises (30lbs each hand)

1 minute run and punch

Body squats

Shoulder press

Step back lunges

1 minute jumping jacks

Tip toe lunges

Uppercuts

Medium kicks

REPEAT

Shovel snow for 5-10 minutes

Stretch out/cool down 

DONE

All sets in reps of 12, weights at 15lbs.

Playlist: Hellbound Glory

Let It Snow!

It's been a little bit snowy in Philly's burbs this weekend. Sunday the area got about 3-8 inches. Anybody see that Lions v Eagles game aka the "Snowbowl"? Crazy game, and a great win for he birds!  Love those football snow games! In my neck of the woods we got about 3 or 4 inches. There's another small storm due to hit tomorrow morning right during the morning rush. Gonna be nuts!

Saturday I got a nice run in. It was cold and not too wet on the trail, so ran on a paved trail near my house. I only ran 3 and a 1/4 miles. Felt good. Happy to get it in. Sunday I went to the gym to ride the elliptical for 35 minutes and finished with some crunches. By the time I left the flakes were starting to fall. Today upper body work. Here goes:

5 minute warm up

5 push-ups

Shoulder press

Hammers

Tricep pull-down

5 push-ups

Lawnmowers

Curls

Dips (20)

5 push-ups

Elbow out lawnmowers

Concentration curls

Tricep kickback

5 push-ups

Shoulder shrugs

Curl/hammers

Overhead tricep press

REPEAT

Finish with a mile jog

DONE!

First set is 10 reps, second is 8 reps.

All weights are 15lb, except for all lawnmowers,18lb, and overhead triceps, 12lb.

Playlist: Titus Andronicus 

Hump Day

Wednesday is my workout day off. And I followed my weekly tradition in taking off today. Well needed. Yesterday I did get a leg workout in at the gym. Here goes:

5 minute warm-up including a 1/4 mile jog.

Seated legs press (130,145,155)

Calf raises (160,180,200)

Leg flexion (70,85,90)

Leg extension (70,85,90)

Body squats

Lunges

Hip abduction (115,125,135)

Hip adduction (105,115,125)

20+ minutes on the elliptical.

DONE!

Reps were 10, 8, and 6 for the last set.

Garage Days

Another Monday mid morning workout in the chilly garage. It's actually not too bad. You just have to wear a hoodie or a zip-up. Upper body strength training and a little cardio. Here goes:

Upright rows

Hammers

Medicine ball behind the head tricep press (10lb ball)

5 push ups

Lawnmowers

In & out shoulder flys

Dips (20)

5 push ups

Shoulder press

In & out bicep curl

Tricep band pull-down

5 push ups

Shoulder shrugs

Concentration curls

Tricep kickbacks

5 push ups

REPEAT

Finish with a 1 mile jog. 

DONE

1st set at 10 reps, 2nd set at 8 reps.

Used 15lb dumbbells except for lawnmowers 18lb and shrugs 30lb.

5 push-ups for 1st set, 3 push-ups for 2nd set.

Enjoy your week!

Playlist: MGMT

The Days Keep Rollin' By

December here we go! Christmas is in a little over 3 weeks. 2014 is right around the corner. This year has flown by. Today, Zim and I put up the tree today and decorated a bit. Let's hope the cat doesn't decide to try to climb it this year. I can't wait to come home to that scene.

I got in a couple short workouts this weekend. Saturday I went for a nice and cold 3 and a 1/2 mile run. Probably my coldest run of the fall. Temperatures were hovering in the upper 20s. Luckily no wind though. That makes a huge difference. Absolutely beautiful on the trail. The river looked so tranquil and it was so quiet out. Today I went to the gym and did 35 minutes on the elliptical and finished with a little bit of ab work. The gym was a little busy. People probably were trying to get their workout in before the Eagles game. Got a nice sweat in though.

Back to the grind tomorrow! This weekend was entirely too short!

Playlist: Deerhunter and Deep Sea Arcade

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! Mine's been quite quiet thus far. I don't do any major cooking on Thanksgiving, so my day is usually free before dinner. Occasionally my mom has asked us to bring an appetizer, but because there hasn't been alot of us for dinner in the past couple years, she's told us to not bother. I did bake a couple batches of cookies last night to bring over. I go over to my mom's every Thanksgiving, while Zim goes over his mom's. Zim doesn't eat turkey, stuffing, or the rest of a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. My mom would make him seafood pasta, but in the last few years, he doesn't want anyone to go out of their way for him. So he goes over his mom and they typically eat some sort of fish. Everyone is happy. 

The nor'easter that made it's home in the northeast for the past couple days has finally moved out and the sun is shining. In the Philly suburbs, we got about 2 inches of rain or more. There was localized flooding and a bunch of road closures yesterday morning. We also had some sleet and a bit of snow too. If temperatures would have been down 5 degree yesterday, all that rain would have been snow. What a mess that would have been! After all that rain, the temperature dropped below freezing last night, and the roads were a little slick. Zim and I went to dinner, then stayed home for the rest of the night. 

This morning it was nice to see the sun. I debated on going for a run but it was still below freezing and I really didn't feel like dealing with ice. I ended up going to my gym. It's open 7am - 1pm today. I was kinda surprised. I went around 10am and worked out for close to an hour. Here's how it went:

1/4 mile jog around the track, stretch out

Lat pull-down machine (50lb)

Shoulder press machine (50lb)

Seated leg press (120,135,150)

Seated bench press machine e (50,40)

Seated rowing machine (50)

Calf raise machine (160,180,200)

Standing tricep pull down (30)

Seated cable rowing machine (60,70)

Leg extension machine (70,85,90)

Upright row dumbbell (15)

Hammers (15)

Body squats

20 minutes on the elliptical. (2.5 miles)

Stretch out

(Each exercise is 3 sets with reps of 10,8, and 6.)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!! 

Git 'Er Done

I woke up to a nice cold morning with sheets and the comforter wrapped around me and a curled up kitty to my side. Ahh, nice and cozy in bed. Then that alarm goes off and ruins that tender moment between you and the bed. That's Mondays for you. Only on the weekends do I wake up next to Zim. He's out of bed by 4am during the week. Tough schedule. Better than the nights he worked for years though. Anyways, after some breakfast and the local news, I slid on the track pants, put on the Under Amour hoodie, and started warming up in the garage. I've been meaning to change up the upper strength training routine, so I tweeked a bit. Here goes:

5 minute warm-up

5 push-ups/pull-ups

Lawnmowers

Curls

Dips (20 reps)

2nd time round- 5 pull-ups

Shoulder press

Hammers

Overhead tricep press

5 push-ups/pull-ups

In & out shoulder fly

Elbow out lawnmowers

In & out bicep

5 push-ups

Upright row

In & out hammers

Tricep kickback

5 push-ups/pull-ups

REPEAT

Finish with a 1 mile jog...Brrrr...cool down and stretch

First set 10 reps, second 8 reps

I used 15 lbs dumbbells with the exception of all lawnmowers, 18lbs, and overhead tricep and in & out shoulder flys,12lbs. 

1st set start with push-ups to equal 20, 2nd set is pull-ups to equal 20.

Off to take a shower and get to work! Stay warm!

Playlist: Arcade Fire: Reflektor 

Last Frozen Week of November

The coldest temperatures since February have moved in for the week in good ole Pennsylvania. Saturday was on the chilly side, but temps today never made it past the lower 30s. I took advantage of the half decent temperature on Saturday morning and got 4 miles in on the trail. There wasn't a ton of people out either. There were a few runners, walkers, and dog walkers out, but pretty quiet. Just how I like it! After a shower, Zim and I headed to West Chester University to watch their playoff football game against American International College. I've never been to a college football game, let alone a playoff game. I went to West Chester for 4 and 1/2 years, graduated and even took a semester of graduate classes, and NEVER have I attended a game. First time for everything. West Chester is in the NCAA Division 2, so they'll never play Penn State or one of those colleges. Anyways, it was fun, inexpensive ($8 a ticket), but pretty chilly out. We left during the half, that wind was just killer. West Chester won, 31-7, and move on to the next round. Good times.

Today, Zim and I took a trip to the gym to escape the bitter cold for some cardio. I did the elliptical for 35 minutes. At least I got it in. This week is always pretty crazy between Thanksgiving, family, work, and Black Friday. 

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Gym Day

The next couple of weeks I'm only going to be training my father on Tuesdays. So I had the whole day to myself! Yay! I made it to the gym a little after 10am. I did a leg routine which included a seated leg press, weighted calf raises, leg extension/flexion, hip abduction/adduction machine, body squats and lunges. I finished with 20 minutes on the elliptical and some ab work. 

I got some much needed housework done. Cabinets cleaned out, groceries, fridge cleaned out a bit. Crazy that Thanksgiving is only a week away! 

Playlist: Holly Golightly and the Brokeoffs

Monday Morning Round Up

Upper body strength training from home. I'm going to need to switch this up again soon. Anyways, here goes:

Upright rows

Hammers

Tricep kickback

Pull-ups/push-ups

Swimmer's press

Lawnmowers

Dips (20)

Pull-ups/push-ups

Alt Shoulder

Curls

Tricep flip grip

Pull-ups/push-ups

Shoulder shrugs

Curl/hammers

Overhead tricep press

Pull-ups/push-ups

REPEAT

Finish with a 1 mile jog

I used 15 lbs with the exception of shoulder shrugs (30) and overhead triceps (12). First set was 10 reps, second 8. Pull-ups and push-ups were sets of 7.

Another Week Down

This weekend I got a couple of runs in. Temperatures this weekend were seasonally high, hovering right around 60 degrees. Saturday I got a 4 and a 1/2 mile run in. Today I went for a quick 2 and a 1/2 mile run before we drove to the Eagles v Redskins game. Happy to enjoy the weather migraine free, hitting my feet on the trail, seeing an Eagles home win, and seeing The Devils Makes Three play a show last night. Pretty busy weekend. Looking forward to my bed in about an hour.

Happy Sunday!

Thursday Quickie

After a quick workout with my dad, I came home, threw on the running shoes and a hoodie, and hit the pavement. I ran a little over 4 miles at a decent pace. It was a little chilly out, but not a whole lot of windy and the sun was out. Glad I got a run in!

Wow it's almost Friday already! Have a happy weekend!

Work Week Commence

I always have a mid day shift on Mondays, so I usually get a workout in before noon. Monday is also an upper body strength training day too. Here goes:

5 minute warm-up

Swimmer's press

Hammers

Dips (20)

5 pull-ups/push-ups

Alternate shoulder

Curls

Tricep kickback

5 pull-ups/push-ups

Upright rows

Concentration curls

Tricep flip grip

5 pull-up/push-ups

Shoulder shrugs

Dumbbell bench press

Overhead tricep press

5 pull-ups/push-ups

REPEAT 

Finish with a nice 1 mile jog

Reps were 10 on the 1st set, 7 on the 2nd.

(I used 15lbs on everything except overhead triceps, 12lb, and shoulder shrug, 30lb)

Remember to keep all our Veterans in your thoughts today! 

Playlist: Honkey Tonk Hustlas

Sunday Funday

Well not really...but it wasn't bad or anything. The weekend was pretty good to me. After being horribly sick after work on Friday, things got better with a well needed nap. These upper 60s/70s temps that fall to 35 at night kill me. They spurn migraines and all that other fun stuff that go with them. Nausea, fatigue, light sensitivity, and don't forget your head and jaw throbbing in pain. I've had a helluva lot worse, but it's never a fun experience. After my long nap and some food, I felt better. Needless to say, there was no workout for me.

Saturday morning was chilly, temps in the low 40s. I put on my track pants, zipped up the old hoodie, and got a nice 5 mile run in on the trail. I was running pretty slow for me, a 9:30 pace, enjoying the chill in the air and the nice fall scenery. I still had a slight headache, but I do find exercising/running makes me feel better when dealing with mild symptoms. Later in the day, Zim and I attended our first rugby match. It was the New Zealand Maori All Blacks v the US Eagles. Very cool to watch. I know the very basic rules in rugby, and didn't find myself too lost. It also helped the kid sitting next to me knew the game quite well and was explaining to his dad what was going on. Those rugby boys are GIANTS. And man, do they hit each other! I would love to see another match, and hope it's in the afternoon, so it's slightly warmer. Very cool to see!

Today was a gym elliptical day. I did 35 minutes, followed by some light ab work. My sister had a Thirty-One party at her house in the afternoon, so I got the workout in early. Thirty-One is a company that sells all sorts on bags, totes, purses, etc. They have some nice looking bags that you can use for just about anything. I got a couple Xmas gifts ordered and had fun hangin' with my sister's friends. Good times.

Off to bed in a few! Happy Sunday!

Playlist: Hank 3, Modern Life is War

Chilly November Monday Morning

Today it actually feels like November. Temperatures this morning are in the mid to upper 40s. Long sleeve tech shirt morning! The weekend had temps hovering near 70. Saturday I took advantage of the weather and ran a little over 5 miles on the river trail. There were a TON of people out! Everyone wanted to soak in the sun. Good for them! Sunday, I was feeling slightly sick, headache and all that fun stuff, so I stuck to the elliptical and some ab work at the gym. I came home to watch that butt whoopin' that the Eagles put on the Raiders. Crazy game.

Today is an upper body strength day and I decided to work out at home. Here goes:

5 minute warm-up

Alt shoulder

Hammers

Dips

7 pull-ups/push-ups

Swimmer's press

Concentration curls

Tricep kickbacks

7 pull-ups/push-ups

Upright rows

Curls

Tricep flip grip

7 pull-ups/push-ups

Shoulder shrugs (30lb)

Lie down dumbbell bench press

Overhead tricep press

7 pull-ups/push-ups

Lawnmowers

Curl/hammers

Tricep pull down w/ bands

7 pull-ups/push-ups

Finish with a mile jog and stretch.

I started with 15lb at 10 reps, for second set 18lb at 8 reps. Weight exception is tricep flip grip and tricep overhead press were 12lbs. First set were pull-ups, second set were push-ups.

Happy Halloween

I celebrated by waiting for a Comcast tech (who was WAY on time) and by also waiting for my car to get an oil change. Fun, fun!! At least my car is back and there's working cable in my bedroom . Yay! Now I just answering the door, handing out candy, and getting a good look at the kids costumes. Seen a minion, some witches, a ninja turtle, and a very cute Simba. It's been light kid wise so far, but it's not even 8 yet. It's drizzling a bit here too. At least it's in the upper 50s for the kids. Anyways, here was the afternoon's workout:

Legs!

1)Weighted barbell squats

a)65lb-5 reps b)75-5 c)85-5 d)95-5 (no personal record settings today, lower back is a bit sore)

2)Weighted dumbbell lunges

a)15lb-10 reps b)18-10 c)18-10

3)weighted dumbbell calf raises

a)50lb-15 b)70-15 c)80-15

4)stability ball rolling hamstrings

a)12 b)12 c)12

Finished with a 20-23 minutes on the elliptical for about 2 and 1/2 miles. Did a few crunches and ab work.

Happy Halloween!!!

Another Beautiful Day on the Trail

I got a nice 4.5 + mile trail run in today. Upper 50s, Capri track pants, long sleeve tech shirt, and the sun shining up above. Another beautiful day! Had a little bit of slight knee pain, so I'm going to ride the elliptical until Saturday. Better safe than sorry. Temperatures are going to be close to 70s Thursday and Friday. Nuts! I hope winter doesn't clobber us with snow and ice later this year. It always seems to work that way.

Playlist: Arcade Fire: Reflektor 

End of October

Man this month flew by! November is only in a few more days. Before we know it, it will be Thanksgiving! Speaking of Thanksgiving, the King of Prussia mall will be open at 8pm on Thanksgiving! WTF! I don't work at the mall, but that's ridiculous! Can't folks enjoy a day off with their families, sit down and eat dinner with them, and spend time with each other? Does the mall really need to compete with Target, Walmart, and the other big stores? It should be optional. I worked at the comic store at that mall for many, many of years. There is NO reason for a small independent shop to be open at 8pm on Thanksgiving. The normal 5 or 6am is fine on Black Friday. This news really angered me. But I guess it's a sign of things to come. Sad really.

Anyways, I had some decent workouts the past few days.

Saturday-A nice chilly 5 plus miles trail run. Really beautiful out. Love runs like these. A nip in the air, running through a leave covered trail, hearing the currents in the river humming.

Sunday-An elliptical gym day. I rode the elliptical for 45 minutes while I watching the Chelsea v Manchester City match. I finished with some push-ups and some crunches. And even better, Chelsea won 2-1.

Monday-Upper body strength training and elliptical gym day. I lifted for about 20-25 minutes and finished up with 25 minutes on the elliptical. 

Tomorrow if it's not raining, I'm going fit a run in. Off to bed!

Playlist: Hank 3: A Fiendish Threat, H2O: FTTW, Thicker Than Water

Chilly Wet Tuesday

After a legs workout with my dad, a got in a little over a 4 and 1/2 mile run on the trail in Valley Forge Park. It was a little wet, but not bad at all. It was drizzling on and off during he 40 minutes. The trail was absolutely desolate. Just the way I like it! 

Playlist: Honky Tonk Hustlas

Spooky Monday

Spoooky!!! Love seeing the Halloween decorations up in my run around the neighborhood this morning. Orange lights, skeletons hanging from trees, and pumpkins on porches. I have a couple pumpkins on the porch. One I carved a cat into, then two nice sized orange and white pumpkins. Halloween is right around the corner!

Here's this morning's workout:

Warm-up with a 1/2 a mile run.

10 swimmer's press

10 hammers

10 tricep kickback

7 pull-ups

10 alt shoulder

10 curls

20 bench dips

7 pull-ups

10 upright rows

10 curl/hammers

10 tricep flip grip

7 pull-ups

10 shrugs

10 dumbbell bench presses

10 overhead tricep press

7 pull-ups

10 lawnmowers

10 concentration curls

10 tricep pull down with band

7 pull-up

REPEAT (switch pull-ups w/ push-ups, decrease reps to 8)

Finish with a mile/mile and a half run.

I used 15lbs excepts on tricep flip grip, tricep overhead press (12lb) dumbbell press, lawnmowers (18lb) and shrugs (30lbs)

DONE

Yesterday was a gym day. I watched most of the first half of that brutally boring Cowboys v Eagles game on the elliptical. I did about 40 minutes then finished with 5-7 minutes of abs. Glad I didn't stay home and sit on the couch all day to watch the game.

Playlist: Lawrence Arms

Mid October Run

This afternoon has a little bit of an overcast but temperatures are in the mid 60s. Why the hell not go for a run?? Since the government is back in business (for a couple months) I hit up the Valley Forge River Trail again. Always a nice flat run. I ran a little over 5 miles and came home to do a little ab work. Now what to do with the rest of my Saturday? Maybe Zim and I will drive up to Zern's farmer's market for some jerky. They sell the best jerky EVER. So good. I wonder what pastries they have? Hmm. Happy Saturday!

Playlist: Hank 3: A Fiendish Threat

Thursday Workout

Here goes:

Leg extension machine (75lb/10, 95/8, 105/7)

Leg flexion machine (75lb/10, 100/8, 115/7)

Calf machine (240lb/15, 280/15, 300/15)

Seated leg press (200lb/10, 250/8, 275/5) Heavy!!!

Body squat 15 reps x2

Rolling hamstrings w/ stability ball 10 x2

Walking lunges 10 x2

Hip abduction machine (115/12, 130/10, 160/8)

Hip adduction machine (100/12, 120/10, 135/8)

5-10 minutes of ab work

End with 20-25 minutes of cardio on the elliptical.

DONE

Playlist: Jayke Orvis and the Broken Band, Coke Bust

Happy weekend!

Monday Back to the Grind

5 minute warm-up

10 swimmer's press

10 hammers

20 dips

10 pull-ups

10 alt shoulder

10 curls

10 tricep kickbacks

10 pull-ups

10 upright rows

10 concentration curls

10 tricep flips

10 pull-ups

10 lawnmowers

10 curl/hammers

10 tricep pull down w/ bands

10 pull-ups

10 weighted barbell behind the back shrugs

10 barbell bench press

10 overhead tricep curl

10 pull-ups

REPEAT (replace pull-ups with push-ups and increase weight)

I started with 15lb and 12lb on tricep exercises and increased to 18 and 15. Shrugs were at 70lb bench press was 65lb.

Finish with a 10-12 minute jog and some ab work.

Playlist: Jayke Orvis and the Broken Band.

Nashville Vacay

First a workout. Legs!

5 sets of weighted squats of 5 reps

a)65lb b)80 c)90 d)100 e)100

3 sets of elevated weighted back lunges 8-12 reps

a)no weight/12 b)12lb/10 c)15lb/10

3 sets of plank hamstring rolls 10 reps

Ab work

...and now for Nashville. Zim and I landed in Tennessee on Sunday afternoon. The town was LOADED with Kansas City Chiefs fans. (Who won against the Titans) We dropped off our bags and headed to Broadway to feed our hunger. Every place was PACKED with football fans, tourist, bar flies, and the local folk. Strangely, unlike in the Northeast, everyone got along and was friendly. After finding a restaurant with a couple open tables, we shoved some fish tacos and beers down. Then it was off to wander the bar lined streets with live country and southern rock pouring onto the sidewalk daring you to wander in and dance. So we bar hopped, filing in accordingly to what was candy to our ears. We hit four different bars, downing some Pabst, tapping our feet and just eating up the atmosphere. I felt like I was in college again. There's just something about listening to old school country in a dark bar, with a crowd that is really into it. It was a blast!

Monday we hit up the Country Music Hall of Fame which was directly across from our hotel. It was pretty cool. We saw a bunch of old guitars of Johhny Cash, Hank Williams, Johnny Paycheck etc. There were a ton of boots, costumes, instruments, even Elvis's gold piano. The coolest to me was the Trans-Am used in Smokey & the Bandit movie. AWESOME. We then headed about a 1/2 mile away to go to Jack White's (White Stripes) record label and store called Third Man Records. I bought five 7", and a pin. It was small but a pretty interesting shop. Glad we decided to walk there.  Afterwards we popped into a bar for some lunch and then made our way to see the Tennessee capital building, state park, and the University of Tennessee. That night we walked to the Nashville Municipal Auditorium to see the Queens of the Stone Age and The Savages. QOTSA were awesome. I missed them the last few times in Philly. I would definitely see them again.

Before we knew it, it was time to go. I miss you already Tennessee!!!

October Already!

I've been meaning to keep my blogging up, but the past month I've been filling in at work because of a co-worker's surgery, trying to fit in workouts with my father, and also preparing the gym for a boxing tournament for PAL this month. Never the less, things are returning to normal and Zim and I even squeezed a short trip to Nashville,TN. Our boss wanted to reward us for all the time we've spent helping out at work and putting the extra hours in that he told us to go on a mini vacation. So we booked a trip to Nashville. It was a TON of fun, but I'll blog about that later. Here's a post vacation whoop yer butt back to work:

1 mile warm up run

10 alt shoulder

10 hammers

20 dips

10 pull-ups

1 min run

10 swimmer's press

10 lie down bench press

10 tricep kickback

10 push-ups

1 min run

10 shoulder shrugs

10 curls

10 overhead tricep 

10 pull-ups

1 min run

10 upright rows

10 curl/hammers

10 tricep flip grip

10 push-ups

1 minute run

REPEAT

Finish with a 1 mile run

Then 5 minutes of ab work.

DONE

Playlist: Scott H. Biram, Touché Amoré.

Sundays's 50

Run 1 mile

50 push-ups

50 sit-ups

50 pull-ups

50 20 pound sandbag squat and slam

50 jump rope double unders

50 burpees

Run 1 mile

10 push-ups

10 sit-ups

10 pull-ups

10 sandbag squat/slam

10 jump rope double unders

10 burpees

Ran 50 yards

DONE!

Weekend Warrior

Man did I have a crazy workout on Saturday. It started with an 8am Mt. Joy run with Zim and his friend Brian. They both kicked my ass, but when don't they. I just ran at my pace and enjoyed the run. In the late morning was workout number 2. Zim's friends came over to practice for their upcoming Spartan race at Citizens Bank Park and to conquer the 8 foot wall that is standing in my backyard. We had four stations: throw a 20lb sandbag over the wall then climb or crawl under it, run with a weighted sled up and down my backyard twice, hitting a Jeep tire with an 8lb sledgehammer, and as many pull-ups as you could. Each station was timed according to the time the person pulling the sled was done 2 passes. We did this for 3 rounds in about 40 minutes. We ended with 30 burpees. TOUGH!! I only crawled under the wall. My fear of heights only let's me get so far up, before my brain says, "Screw that" and I climb back down. I'll conquer it eventually. I was pretty spent for the majority of the day and evening.

Sunday, I thought my body would be sore, but I felt pretty damn good. I decided very last minute to run a 5K, a 9/11 Heroes Run, which was dedicated to a fallen local soldier, Travis Manion. I was thinking about doing this race for a while but never registered. My Saturday workouts are usually pretty intense, so I use Sunday for a rest day or a light workout day. It was a beautiful morning, and I got the itch to run, so why not do a 5K? The race was in Norristown, PA, which is about a 15-20 minute car ride depending on traffic. Because I left so late the roads were already closed for the race. By the time I parked it was already 8:50, the race was starting at 9, and I was close to a 1/2 half away from the registration booth. So I had to run/jog. At least I got warmed up pretty well. When I got to registration, they told me they couldn't let me in because the race was about to start in about 1 minute or so. Luckily a man who must have been in charge of the booth let me race. He scribbled my name and age as quickly as possible and handled me my race bib as I handed him the $25 race fee. As I just got done pinning my bib to my shirt while jogging to the start line, the gun went off. Again, I ran another 30 seconds to get to the start line and was mixed in with the walkers. I then realized I never took off my driving aviator sunglasses. Oh well, guess I'm gonna run with them. I made it through a good chunk of the crowd by the first half mile and got into a good groove. I really wasn't trucking, just enjoying the race while trying make a decent time. I was happy if I made in under a half hour. Then the hills started. I didn't realized there were that many hills in Norristown. I felt like I'm running Mt. Joy again. A bunch of runners dropped back, but I slowly made my way up the hills, stopping only once coz I rolled my ankle a couple times. What goes up, comes down, so the last mile wasn't that challenging. I crossed the finish line at 28:30, grabbed a water, and stretched out. I grabbed a beer at the Victory Brewing truck, cheered on some runners and was about to make the trek back to my Jeep when I saw the results. I placed in 71st and place SECOND in my age group!!!! WTF?! Wow!! And the woman who took first in my group was an old high school and college friend that I haven't seen in a few years! Small world.  We had a laugh and shot the shit for a bit, and then I made the long walk to my car. I'm still shocked I got second. Crazy! Needless to say I slept good that night! 

Happy running!

Jelly Legs

Yesterday I had a tough leg workout. KICKED my butt. Here's how it went:

Barbell squats: 5 sets of 5 reps

a)55lb-5 b)65-5 c)80-5 d)95-5 e)120-5 (last set my knees were a lil wobbly)

Weighted lunges: 3 sets of 8-15 reps

a)15lb-12 b)21-10 c)25-10

Stability ball hamstring roll: 3 sets of 12 (feet on ball, roll knees to chest)

Weighted calf raises: 3 sets of 15

a)35lb-15 b)40-15 c)45-15

Run a 3/4 of a mile

5 minutes of Crunches

I woke up this morning a bit sore. The most I've ever squatted was yesterday's 120 pounds. I knew I was going to feel it the next day. 

Today was a gym upper body day. Sit down row machine, tricep pull down, asst pull-ups, dips, lat pull down, sit down chest press, sit down overhead press, push-ups and dumbbells. Lifted for a little over a half hour. Next, 5 minutes of crunches. I finished off with 20 minutes on the elliptical. 

Tomorrow I'm most likely going to take the day off. I usually run 20-30 minutes before work, but my body is screaming for a rest day.

Today is the start of FOOTBALL!!! I'm excited!! 

Happy weekend!!

Playlist: Nine Inch Nails: Hesitation Marks

Put Your Whites Away, It's After Labor Day

I always think of the John Waters movie, Serial Mom, when I hear people talking about not wearing white after Labor Day. Funny scene, funny movie. But seriously, where did the summer go?? It when crazy fast this year. In about a month, Christmas stuff will start popping up. Oh jeez.

Last week I gave my body a break. I only worked out or ran four days. I so lazy, but it's not a bad thing to rest your body every now and again. I started this week on Monday with strength training with Zim. Here was the routine:

1)Barbell chest press (5 sets, 5 reps)

a)50lb-5 b)60-5 c)65-5 d)70-5 e)75-3

2)Dumbell chest press (3 sets, 12-20 reps)

a)15lb-15 b)18-15 c)21-20

3)Bent over barbell row and Shrugs/clean and up (3 sets, barbell 8-12 rep, shrug 10-15 reps)

a)65lb-10 and 12lb-10 b)70-10 and 12-12 c)70-10 and 12-12

4)Behind the back barbell shrugs (3 sets of 12-15)

a)45lb-12 b)50-12 c)55-12

5)Curls (3 sets of max reps)

a)15lb-15 b)18lb-12 c)21lb-10

Run a 3/4 mile.

Done!

Today I did a light leg workout with my dad. Then I went for a 6 mile trail run in a little over 53 minutes. It was a BEAUTIFUL afternoon out! I put on my headphones, stretched out and enjoyed the scenery on the trail. And barely a soul around. Came across maybe 4 or 5 people. Not sure what I'm going to do tomorrow. It's going to be a busy day at work.

Happy running!

Playlist: H2O: FTTW, Thicker Than Water (I needed some positivity today)

Last Week of Summer

After getting stuck at work and running to the shore for a couple days I'm back to the blog. It's been over a week. Soo....Today I had a late afternoon workout. I ended up getting called into work early, so I worked out after a dinner of fish tacos. Yum. Here goes:

1) Barbell bench press - 5 sets, 10 reps

a)45lb b)50 c)55 d)60 e)65

2)Dumbbell bench press - 3 sets, 12 reps

a)15lb b)18lb c)21lb

3)Shrugs/clean&jerk and pull-ups - 3 sets of 10-12 reps

4)Alternate shoulder press - 3 sets of 12 reps

a)15lb b)18lb c)21b

5)Shoulder shrugs & curls - 3 sets of 12 reps

Run for 20 minutes

Playlist: Ceremony, Dillinger Four

Work Week Commence

After a BUSY weekend, it's back to the grind. Zim and I did get an early run in at Mount Joy on Saturday. Tough run, but I never stopped running. Monday was a gym day. Upper body strength training followed by a half hour on the elliptical and ab work. My ass was dragging. I pulled through and finished though. Today if it's dry enough I'm going for a trail run. It was POURING all morning here.

I was in Philly pretty much all weekend. Zim and I did three days of This Is Hardcore Fest at the Electric Factory. The Fest was four days of hardcore, punk, metal core bands all afternoon and night. Every band had a half hour or forty minute set. It was a boatload of fun and I saw a bunch of great bands. I ran into some old friends and met some new ones. What a weekend! The best sets that I got to see were Ceremony, H2O, Suicide File, Kid Dynamite, Slapshot, Paint It Black, and Kill Your Idols. Ceremony's set totally blew me away. Amazing set and the crowd went crazy. It was the second time I've seen them. I will definitely see them again! Great time!

7 Seconds, Paint It Black, Ceremony.

Let The Weekend Begin

Today I took off. I didn't get home till late Thursday night because of the show, so I didn't make my 6am run. I needed a day off to rest anyways. Thursday morning, I did a 20 minute upper body workout at home and then took the new sneakers out for a spin on the trail. They felt great. Had a good 3 1/2 mile run in a little over a half hour. It was a bit humid out but it was nice to be on the trail again.

Tomorrow Zim and I are planning an early morning 7am run of Mt. Joy. Love early morning runs! Happy weekend!

Wednesday Already?!

I started the week off with a bunch of fun in Philly at the Violent Society/The Virus show. I finally got to see my friend's band Combat Crisis too. I had a BLAST! I felt like I was a 17 year old kid again hanging out at Denny's. I got to see some old friends and made some new ones. The bands were great, the venue was nice, and the crowd was awesome! Super happy I went!

After I slept off the beer from the night before, I changed up my upper body workout and worked out with Zim. Here's the routine:

1)Bench Press- 3- 5 reps working to max effort

a)5-45lb b)5-55 c)5-60 d)5-75

2)Dumbbell Bench Press- 3-4 sets of 10-15 reps

a)10-18lb b)10-21lb c)10-25lb

3)Horizontal Row- 4 sets of 10-15 reps with barbell

a)10-45lb b)10-55lb c)10-55 d)10-60

*Man my arms are tired

4)Seated Dumbbell Power Cleans- 2-3 sets of 12-15 reps

a)12-9lb b)12-12lb

5)Dumbbell Side Bends- Weighted abs 3-4 sets of 8-15 reps

a)15-35lb b)15-40lb c)15-45lb

DONE!!!

Tuesday, my arms and chest felt a bit sore. I decided on cardio, so Zim and I did a trail run at Mt. Joy which is about 3 1/2 miles. I had a nice run, not super fast, but I never stopped running. Those inclines will KICK your ass too. I did realize that I do need new trail shoes. I've put some decent miles of my Brooks ASRs. I decided on using an old Zappos Christmas gift card on a new pair. Just got them today! Can't wait to break them in.

Today, the orders at work got completely screwed up, so I had the morning off. I ended up going early to my gym and worked on legs. Been at least a month that I've worked on legs at the gym. I felt good, and felt stronger. Pressed 230lb on the seated leg press. That's a new record! Tonight I took my dad to the Phillies game. Luckily the rain held off and it was quite nice out. Too bad the Phillies have just been terrible lately. It was my dad's first game all season, so that was nice!

Alright I'm going to watch the rest of the Chelsea v Real Madrid match and go to bed.

Playlist: Leftover Crack: Fuck World Trade, Vindictives: Many Moods of...

August Already

The summer is FLYING by! As it usually does though. After relaxing at Ocean City last weekend it was back to the dregs of work and getting the workouts in. I actually had a great week of workouts. I squatted a personal record of 110 pounds on Wednesday. I ran a couple of trails, flat and up a mountain for 3 plus miles. This afternoon, the weather was a beautiful 82 degree day and full of sunshine. I was going to take the day off from a workout, but I decided last minute to get a 4 mile run in. It was too damn pretty out! I ran my fastest time in a while, averaging a 8:37 minute mile. I'm super happy that I've found my stride again. 

I'm going to have a pretty busy schedule this week. I have a small concert tonight in Philly featuring some old punk rock bands from the late 90s, The Virus and Violent Society. Should be a lot of fun and hopefully there will be no fights.  I also have tickets to two shows for This Is Hardcore Fest on Thursday and next Sunday. There's a bunch of punk/hardcore bands playing each day. Thursday, I'm looking forward to seeing Kid Dynamite and Striking Distance. Sunday, I'm there to see Paint It Black and Slapshot. Gwar's headlining that show too. I also have tickets to a Phillies game and Union match. At least I'm keeping busy! The weather's supposed to be great this week as well. Good for running!

Beach Run

Zim and I decided to get away from Philly's burbs for the weekend and retreated to Ocean City, NJ. We drove last night to beat the rush hour traffic. Took us about an hour and a half. I had a couple of vodkas after we settled in and watched some Muay Thai on TV. Man, there were some brutal elbows in a couple of those matches. Interesting stuff. 

I woke up to a beautiful, sunny, 70 degree morning. I put on my running shoes and ran to the beach. LOVE running on the beach. It's so tranquil and peaceful. It's wasn't super busy on the beach, but there were some other runners, walkers, and fisherman out. The closer I got to the boardwalk the more people began to appear with their beach chairs. Altogether I ran close to 4 miles in a little over 35 minutes. My stride felt good too. Great morning for a run.

After my run, I got changed and went to breakfast at the little corner diner with Zim for some sausage eggs, and coffee. Sooo good! Now to change into my bathing suit and hit the beach! 

Hot Hot Hot!!!

And the heat wave continues!! I believe we're on day 5 of 90+ temperature with heat indexes in the 100s. Tomorrow is supposed to be the worst day coming in at 98, feeling like 108 degrees. Saturday temperatures are supposed to break. Can't wait. Needless to say I haven't ran at all outside. 

This week's workouts were done all inside. Did some boxing, elliptical, the usual stuff. I got in two upper body workouts and one lower body. My work schedule was all over the place this week so I couldn't work out as long as I wanted to. Oh well, at least I got it in. Depending how nasty it is early tomorrow morning I'm going to try to go for a 20-30 minute run. Man, this heat is killer!

Rainy Friday Night

Today's a typical rainy summer night in good old Pennsylvania. Damp and dark all afternoon and evening,full of drenching rain. I beat the rain this early morning with a 6:15am three mile run followed by a quick ab workout. About 3 minutes into my run I ran by a house with a lady coming out of her front door to walk her dog. About 15 seconds later she's screaming across her lawn, which startled me into looking towards her yard. I see a tiny Yorkshire terrier hauling ass towards me with his or her leash dragging behind. I stopped and walked up to the lil doggie, petted him and grabbed his leash. I walked the dog back to his owner to which she replied, "The dog thought you were my sister". I just said, "Ah, okay", and with that she turned around and walked away hastily. I was kinda surprised I didn't get a thank you, but oh well. Then it was back to my run. I was a bit off my game from the dog and my legs were sore from the elliptical and the workout with my dad on Thursday. I still pushed through. 

Wednesday I did a lower body workout with Zim. Weighted body squats (I finally squatted a 100 pounds), weighted lunges, hamstring flex, weighted calf raises and grip training. Love this leg workout. Can definitely feel the squats helping when hill running.

Off to enjoy the rest of this Friday night!

Awesome...It's Tuesday

Tuesdays always kinda suck. Mondays you can talk about what you did on the weekend. Tuesdays you have nothing really more to say other than "Well tomorrow the week's halfway over". I was just never a Tuesday fan. Yup...anyways...workouts.

Monday I worked out at home. Did about 30 minutes of upper body strength training. I did five sets of 2 shoulder, 2 bicep, and 2 tricep exercises. I did push-ups and pull-ups in between. Afterwards I went for a slow 3.25 mile run. It wasn't too muggy out, but when that sun came out, ick. Enjoyed my run regardless.

Today, I barely got any sleep and was called into work on a normal day off. Just couldn't sleep. It happens. On three hours of sleep I got in a 30 minute elliptical workout, followed by 10 minutes of abs. Actually felt better after sweating a bit. I rescheduled my training session with my dad for the evening, and that went well. Glad we could reschedule.

Okay I'm going to play a little Candy Crush and get some sleep. Damn that game is so addictive!!

Playlist: Antiseen: Best Of

Back to Work

How was everyone's 4th? Good I hope! As I got to take in some rays and waves, I got my workouts in here goes:

Thursday: A workout with Zim and my dad at the beach. We took the Bulgarian bag to the shore with us. I made up a workout to incorporate it in. I posted a picture of Mt. Joy below.

12 body squats

12 overhead press with Bulgarian bag (26lb)

12 lunges

12 bent over rows w/ Bulgarian bag

12 squat calf raises

12 dips

12 side lunges

12 push-ups

REPEAT twice

Finish with a 1 minute ab hold and plank.

DONE!

I did run 3 miles afterwards. Nothing beats running down the shore!

Friday: I did an upper body strength workout w/ Zim. It KICKED my ass, but in that good sore.

5 minute warm-up

1) Push-ups (work up to 3 sets of max reps w/ 60 secs rest between)

a)8 reps b)12 c)14 d)14 e)12

2)Overhead bench tricep extension (3-4 sets)

a)12-12lbs b)12-12lbs c)12-12 d)12-12

3)Pull-ups (4 sets, 10-15 reps)

a)11 b)10 c)10 d)10

4)Bradford Press (with barbell)

a)10-45lbs b)10-45lbs c)10-50lb

5)Think Barbell Curl

a)10-45lb b)8-45lb c)8-45lb

6)Ab circuit 

200 ab moves

Saturday: Zim and some of the KASA running crew got together in the morning for a Mt. Joy Valley Forge Park run/hike. The girls and I started with a 15 minute walk/ hike warm-up and then broke into a nice paced 45 minute run. The boys were carrying 10-20 pound sandbags with them on their hike. They were doing hill drills as well. They were getting some last minute practice for this weekends Spartan run. Good workout. It was hot as hell out too. Glad we started somewhat early.

Sunday: Easy day. Nice 35 minute boxing workout. My arms were still sore from Friday.

Our short time at the shore was real fun. We celebrated Zim's birthday with a bunch of seafood, the boardwalk, the sand, and the waves. Too bad the water was only like 60 degrees. A little bit chilly. I bought him a Youth of Today t-shirt at the boardwalk record shop. I got myself a Ceremony t-shirt too. I got to hang out on the beach with my nieces and my sister which was awesome. Zim and I ate some tasty breakfast at the corner diner called Kessel's Corner. Sooo good. We also got to watch fireworks on the beach. Real cool. You can see like 5 different cities fireworks going off. From south of Sea Isle to north of Atlantic City. Had a real relaxing and fun time.

Tomorrow, back to the grind!

Light Workout

Took it light today. Just did 30 minutes on the elliptical and about 5 minutes of abs. It was WAY TOO nasty out today to do anything outside. Muggy, sticky, icky. I also didn't have my Jeep for most of the day, so I had to wait for Zim to get home to get to the gym. Least I got a workout in.

Tomorrow Zim and I are headed to Ocean City NJ in the late afternoon. We're spending a couple of days with my family and coming back home Friday. Tomorrow is his birthday too! Fun times!

Happy 4th of July!!!

Monday Strength Training

Here's my upper body workout:

5 minute warm-up and stretch. Run in place, jumping jacks...

12 alternate shoulder press (15lb)

12 curls (15)

12 tricep kickbacks (12)

REPEAT

10 push-ups

10 asst. pull-ups

12 swimmer's press (15)

12 hammers (15)

12 tricep flip grip press (12)

REPEAT

10 push-ups

10 pull-ups

12 upright rows(15)

10 Cohen curls (15)

20 dips

REPEAT

10 push-ups

10 pull-ups

12 bench press (42)

10 curl/hammers (15)

10 standing overhead tricep press

REPEAT

10 push-ups

10 pull-ups

16 in & out shoulder flys (9)

16 static arm curls (15)

10 pull-ups

16 in & out shoulder flys 

16 static arm curls

10 push-ups

Finish with a nice 3/4 - 1 mile run.

DONE

Happy birthday to one of the coolest ladies on the planet and one of my idols, Deborah Harry! She's 68 years old and still looks fantastic! Blondie has a new album coming out soon and they're touring again this summer! Deborah Harry is truly an awesome gal! 

Playlist: Mischief Brew

Beginning of the Week Workout

Here's a little workout to start the week off right:

Warm-up: Run 3 miles or for a 1/2 hour.

10 push-ups

20 squats

15 Bulgarian bag overhead presses

15 lunges

20 dips

15 weighted calf raises

8 curl/hammers (20lbs)

5 burpees

REPEAT TWICE

Finished w/ 5 minutes of ab work or 200 moves

DONE!

Had this little guy "help" me work out too. (See picture)

How about Schneider going to the NJ Devils? I guess Luongo is going to be the number one goalie. Don't know how I feel about this trade yet. Seems like the draft pick kid they chose is pretty decent. 

Wednesday Leg Blast

I've been doing variations of this workout for the past 3 weeks. Pretty good leg blaster. Even better when doing with a friend. Here goes:

Warm up: 1 to 1 1/2 mile run

Weighted squats (5 sets of 5 reps)

a)45lb-5 b)60-5 c)70-5 d)80-5 e)95-5

Single leg squats (back leg elevated on a bench)

3 sets of 8 reps

a)9lb-8 b)12-8 c)15-8

Stability ball hamstring lifts (3 sets of 10 reps)

Weighted calf raises (3 set of 15)

a)42-15 b)45-15 c)55-15

Grip training timed sets (2 sets of 1 min, 30 sec.)

Grip plate or grip asst on dumbbell.

I use Grip 4orce for my dumbbells. They slip right over the handle part of the weight. There's a picture below of them.

Run a 1/2 - 3/4 of a mile.

Stretch

Done!!!

Afternoon Workout

Here goes:

12 upright rows

12 curls

12 tricep kickback

REPEAT

12 swimmer's press

12 static arm curls

12 dips

REPEAT

12 push-ups

12 alternate shoulder press

12 hammers

12 tricep flip grip

REPEAT

12 in & out shoulder flys

12 curls/hammers

12 standing tricep

REPEAT

12 push-ups

12 in & out bicep

12 lie down chest press

12 lie down tricep extension

DONE!

This was my dad's workout. And he rocked it!

Start Up

Congrats to the Chicago Blackhawks on winning the Stanley Cup. That being said, I've been totally turned off to hockey because of the NHL strike. I really haven't watched a lick in this short season. Hopefully I'll want to watch next season, but the NHL still leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth. Large, long contracts, too many teams, and rule changes that makes a defenseman near powerless. And that's on the top of a long list.

Anyways...let's talk workouts! Saturday I ran 5+ miles in Valley Forge Park in the opposite direction as I usually do. I don't know if it was the heat or the beers of the night before at my best girlfriend's party but that run KICKED my ass. Probably a combination. I only had 4 beers in 3 hours. But hell, 2 1/2 miles in I had to stop to walk. I've NEVER done that before. Just not my day. Sunday, I felt better and did a boxing routine for 40 minutes. Today was a strength training gym day. I worked on upper body for about 25 minutes, ran on the elliptical for 30 minutes, and finished with about 5 minutes of abs. 

Kept busy this weekend. Zim and I went to a local indie wrestling show in Philly. It was old ECW type stuff put on by Tommy Dreamer called House of Hardcore. Not bad whatsoever, and worth the $25. And the people watching...AMAZING. Wow. Just wow. I got to see John Morrison and Terry Funk in person. John Morrison is quite easy on the eyes. Tall, build, and super hot. Never in a million years would I think I'd go to something like that. Fun time though. And Sunday I got to see the Philly Union kick the NY Red Bulls ass! Sweet!

Playlist: Lawrence Arms, Black Flag

Working For the Weekend

Sooo...that bad ass legs workout I last blogged about...pretty well toasted my legs. Man my legs were feeling spent till Sunday. Woo. I did get in an elliptical workout the next day and decided to go for a 5 mile run on Saturday. Not my best run by FAR. By mile 3 I thought to myself, "Man, this wasn't the smartest idea, my legs are rubber". I gritted my teeth and ran through it. Then promptly took a nap a few hours after. Sunday Zim and I went to my parents to hang out with my dad on Father's Day. I got in a 40 minute boxing workout before we went. I figured the workout would balance out the handful of beers that I'd consume over there. Had a nice time over there though. We got to take a dip in the pool and sit in the sun for a bit. My dad was happy.

This week I had the usual routine. upper body on Monday, elliptical on Tuesday, and I decided to torture myself again with that leg blasting workout. I upped my weight on the squats and lunges too. Oddly, my legs were just a little sore. The body is an amazing machine. Weird how that works. Today I trained my dad and went to the gym with Zim to use the elliptical and get some ab work in. Tomorrow I'm taking the day off. Just too many thing to do. Work, pick up a friend from the airport, and maybe go to another friend's party at night. My body can use a rest anyways.

Other than the workouts, last weekend was pretty busy for me. Friday I went to a show in West Chester to The Note (Bam Margera's bar) to see The GOODAMN GALLOWS and The SWINGING UTTERS show. Fun show! Got to see some old faces and love to see The Gallows on stage antics. Saturday, my local indie movie theater, The Colonial, was running on 8mm JAWS. I went with one of my best girlfriend's family whom I haven't hung out with in a while. Love that movie! We all went out of a bite and some drinks after the movie. Good times! Monday night I saw the legendary punk band BLACK FLAG in Philly. The opening band was quite boring and the second was decent but played a half hour too long. I just felt like I was just waiting for them to both be over. Black Flag was good. They had a lot of energy and sounded decent. Interesting crowd too. 

Enough babbling, it's getting late...Happy Friday!

Playlist: Lawrence Arms, Slapstick

Wednesday Workout

Here's a nice leg blaster workout:

1)Weighted squats w/ Bench press bar (work to max effort)- 45lb-6 reps, 55lb-6, 60lb-6, 65lb-6, 75lb-6, 80lb-6.

2)Weighted walking lunges- 12lb-15reps, 12lb-12, 12lb-10. My legs were TOAST by now.

3)Stability ball hamstring lifts- 3 sets of 10 reps

4)Grip training- held 15lb free weight for 2 minutes, 30lb for 2 minutes, 15lb flat weight plates for 2 minutes. Last set was pretty tough.

5)Weighted calf raises- 15lb-15 reps, 21lb-15, 21lb-15

Stretch out!! Took about an hour. My legs are gonna be feeling this one tomorrow. In that good way though!

Pre Hump Day

Halfway done the week...almost! I got in 2 workouts thus far. Yesterday it was POURING out. Absolute cats and dogs. We got almost 3 inches of rain. Off to the gym then! It was an upper body workout day. Pull ups, dips, rows, chest press, lat pull-down, the works. I finished with a half hour on the elliptical and some abs.

Today I trained my father in the morning. He's doing so good. He's really enjoying it and moving up in weight in lifting. I hit the elliptical with Zim later on in the afternoon. We finished with about 10 minutes of abs. Nice workout. 

Tomorrow legs for me and some light cardio.

Playlist: Misery: The Early Years, Spazm 151, The Lawrence Arms: Oh Calcutta!

Last Week Workout Summery

Getting back to blogging this week. My mini vacation sorta messed up my blogging mojo. Here goes!

Last week I did two gym/elliptical days and I ran for 4 plus miles two days as well. Got some boxing in too. My new Mizuno sneakers have been treating me well. Didn't have too bad of foot flop either. I was supposed to do a Mud Ruckus race on Saturday morning but backed out due to an angry stomach. Oh well. Zim ran it and had a load of fun! Back to the grind Monday for me!

Vacation was great! Saw Wrigley Field in Chicago and Target Field in Minneapolis. Saw a bunch of other cool things as well: Lincoln Park, The Bean, Buckingham Fountain (Chicago) Mall of America, the Mississippi River, the Minneapolis Skywalk (Minneapolis) along with two cool record stores, Reckless Records (chi) and Extreme Noise (min). Even came across a comic shop in Chicago, Graham Cracker Comics. Good Times!