Topic: aun's log

[Jason "broc" L.]

reworked my goals, so i'm ready to try again
ultimate goal is to quadrupedally match my bipedal running distance.  which starts at 5km

[Jason "broc" L.]

today was a rest day, so i walked 5km in 48min.  it wasn't a highly energetic walk (not 45min - boo!), which told me that i'd succeeded in pushing myself yesterday (yea!).  it also wasn't a crawl (not 55min - yea!), which told me that tomorrow, when i run my second 10km, i'll probably have the strength to do as well or better than my previous 10km (better than 67min? - mixed feelings)
finished my walk and jumped right into my lower body exercises. considered stepping up my wide squats to 3 sets of 100, but i doubted myself, even though i'd succeeded in doing 3 sets of 75 all 3 times before.  decided that i'd step it up next time if the last set today was 100.  i made it, barely.  i think i was a few squats away from not being able to get up for a while.  looking forward to doing this again in two days.  curious if i can even do 2 sets
now that i'm thinking about doing 100 squat sets, i need to think about how i'll approach narrow squats.  should i slowly narrow my stance over a few weeks?  should i forget about reps, just jump into shoulder width and focus on increasing my depth?  whatever, i'll probably play with both.  however, i definitely intend to continue doing wide squats while i learn narrow and alongside them after i figure narrow out
after the squats left me with wobbly legs, i moved on to calf raises.  fortunately, wide squats don't exhaust my calves.  i've been trying to prepare myself for unsupported single leg calf raises by changing my calf routine to a very slow and controlled raise and lower, while occasionally taking my hand off the wall.  today was my first attempt at not bracing myself against a wall.  i lost my balance frequently and more than half of the reps of each set had me touching the wall at some point, but i think it went well.  so well that i've decided to try again next time rather than alternate back to bracing myself.  with another two sessions, i may be right back to where i was when i braced myself

i'm really hungry.  had an apple, 2 oranges, a banana, 2 glasses (3 cups) of water, 4 tbsp of peanut butter (guesstimation, i know it was more) and 4 serv of brown rice in the hour before i walked.  shudder to think of my hunger after the 10km tomorrow
gonna take some time later today to play around with qm walking.  hope its as much fun as it looks

[Charles Moreland]

Welcome to the forums, Aun.

Before you continue, I think it might be beneficial to re-organize your log. Perhaps start off with a little about yourself, who you are, why you joined the forum, what your stats are currently (age, sex, weight, bf%, etc). Beneath that I'd like to see some clear and concise goals: where do you want to be in this amount of time? For what purpose does this log exist?

To further understand how to set goals, take a close read at Steve's Article.

Next, might I suggest more use of spacing/organization in your log? Myself and others enjoy scanning through these logs to check up on people and make helpful suggestions here or there. Having an organized log structure helps us do that easier.

Onto your log:

A very quick way to get deep squats is to start weighting them. When I was actively working to improve my hip mobility, I would do all of my squat warmup sets with 10-30 second bottom position iso-holds. The weight would help me get a very effective stretch I don't believe I could recreate without.

Because of the pressure/stress involved in the squat you probably will not ever feel your core from doing squats. However, you also are not weighting your squat. Your core is there for stability so by adding loads to yourself you are forcing the muscles to work harder to maintain stability. This is why a squat works your core. Sit-ups are an isolated exercise that train your abdominals to perform a function they are hardly meant for. Start lifting heavy things over your head or elongate your body and force yourself to remain stable and suddenly you have a great core exercise!

Lastly, why calf raises? Is this PT work?

Again, most of my questions can be answered provided you list clear concise goals. Work on that first and you'll be getting much more effective help on developing a proper workout for you.

Welcome again!

[Jason "broc" L.]

clarity eh?
about 2 months ago, i decided to start running.  i wanted to get out there and do something and running just seemed to be the core of all adventure.  too many books and video games.  plus, i was starting to build a belly and i couldn't do anything about that as a coach potatoe.  now i love running and i want to run faster, farther and longer.  i went in search of some tips online.  learning to breath deeply was a tremendous help.  stumbled across parkour.  clearing obstacles to continue running seemed like a great idea.  added a new dimension to running.  using my upper body to run sounded great.  now i can imagine running in places i'd never considered before.  once i started reading about parkour, i found an article about quadrupedal movement.  i was dumbfounded.  possible, and encouraged, to run on all fours.  i have this vague memory of playing in the tall grass as a child and marching my army of legos through the wilderness.  i really enjoyed playing that close to the ground.  i'd like to go back to having that 2 foot perspective of the world
learning to run quadrupedally is my goal.  plus, it wouldn't hurt to learn how to get around bipedally as well

i'm a 23 year old, 200 lb, 6 ft 3 in male.  no idea about my bf%, but that belly i was worried about has jumped back significantly

calf raises? 
when i first started running, my calves and ankles were really sore.  i used calf raises to stretch them out and to a lesser extent build strength.  the focus has turned to strength building since i've found that i can do single leg calf raises.  especially after this morning, when i realized, while trying to do them without the support of a wall, that all of the balance and support muscles were very weak
hoping that stronger calves and ankles will help me run faster or at least help cushion my step and knees

[Jason "broc" L.]

10km run - 68min
just before, i ate 2 oranges, an apple, a banana, 4 cups of brown rice and a glass of water.  immediately after, i ate 4 tbsp of peanut butter, 3 glasses of water and 4 cups of brown rice.  all of this before 9 am (lol)
too exhausted right now to do anything more than rest.  however, i made time later in the day to practice getting into handstands and getting comfortable with qm walking

[Jason "broc" L.]

refocused and ready to try again
first benchmark is to quadrupedally make a circle around the outside of the house
made two attempts today.  would have done more, but i took a bad "step" and injured my wrist.  nether attempt made it past the back of the house.  so thats my next mini goal.
*make it to the third side of the house*.  also, try to get more than two attempts in

[Jason "broc" L.]

really icy today
bipedal
5km run - (16-10min-23) 40min (28-11min-22)

quadrupedal
4 attempts today.  plan on making one more attempt tomorrow than i did today
tried continuing my quest to circle the house.  failed due to thick ice (bad footing).  decided to tackle the driveway.  3 attempts.  made it farther than i did around the house, but not by much
form started to fall apart at the end.  weak core.  lol, i think this is the first exercise in my life that has shown me the need for greater core strength.  good stuff

[Jason "broc" L.]

still icy
bipedal
5km walk - (14) 58min (22)
ice having melted into thicker ice made every step a potential nightmare.  stomping the entire time to create decent footing.  slowest 5km walk ever

quadrupedal
5 attempts at the driveway.  first three made it farther than yesterday, but not yet halfway down the driveway.  last two made it a little farther than yesterdays best. 
hopefully i can make 6 attempts tomorrow.  doesn't really matter how far i get with each attempt, just need to try.  still waiting to hit a point in which i need to start giving myself rest days

[Jason "broc" L.]

bipedal
5km run(2)/walk - (16-10min-22) 37(6)min (29-9min-22)
ankles started bothering me, so i walked for 6min

quadrupedal
taking it easy today.  weird discomfort in my elbows.  feels similar to the knee pain i get when i run too hard.  plan is to rest as long as it takes and slowly work my way back to long "walks."  so i'm back at the beginning, moving short distances about the house

[Jason "broc" L.]

ice is melting fast
bipedal
5km walk - (14) 53min (21)
hopefully, after today's heat wave, the ice will melt away and i can return to struggling to walk 5km in 45min

quadrupedal
i've accepted that i pushed my arms too hard, too fast.  my elbows still feel uncomfortable whenever i fully extend them.  so i'll continue to rest and do light exercise to test if they've recovered and how much damage i've done.  i figure that this is an injury that i'll need to be familiar with in the future, so resting is less of a disappointment now

[Charles Moreland]

Rest/Recovery is a major major factor in a proper training routine. Take a week break, do some light massage/tennis ball therapy, and start back a little slower than before.

[Jason "broc" L.]

biped
02/02 - 5km run(2)/walk - (17-9min-22) 32(2)min (29-9min-24)
03/02 - 5km walk - (17) 48min (25)
today - 5km run - (18-10min-24) 30min (30-9min-22)
countered the ankle soreness that prevented me from running the entire 5km on the 31 and 2 by doing a few sets of calf raises before today's run.  worked perfectly.  i really need to get some new running shoes, so that i can resume training longer distances

quadruped
elbows were feeling better yesterday.  though i won't resume training until tomorrow, when i have the time to ease back into it and be gentle

[Jason "broc" L.]

biped
5km walk - (15) 48min (20)   [17:00, <-5C]
almost didn't walk today, but i've been walking/running for so long that its as much a daily necessity as sleeping or seeing the sun

quadruped
lol @ still putting off beginning again.  at least now i know how.  my injury happened because i was moving too fast.  this time around, i just need to keep it slow and controlled.  crawling before walking

[Jason "broc" L.]

put off running yesterday until the afternoon.  got a call from someone pleading for my assistance.  the rest of my day disappeared.  procrastination was working so well until then
biped
5km walk - (15) 49 (22)   [7:00, <0C]

calisthenics
wide squat - ba(1min, 26-26-28)*3(20), double calf raise - ba(1min, 3)*2, single leg squat (practiced)

quadruped
went through a walk very, very slowly.  trying to figure out where i wasn't exercising control.  thats the spot that most contributed to my elbows getting banged up
my first problem was taking too big of a step.  i'm not strong enough and i threw myself forward.  so i've scaled that back
second problem was that my right arm is noticeably weaker than the left.  whenever i use my right arm to hold my weight, while my left arm takes the next step, i'm still throwing myself forward.  fixed that by focusing more during that step
third problem was that i was shifting my weight between arms too quickly.  again, i was throwing myself back and forth.  slowed that down
all of this accidentally lead me to turn my hands slightly inward.  big improvement.  i finally feel like i've got a decent form.  except that now i feel/hear popping and cracking of joints as i move.  lol @ the large number of previously unused joints

[Jason "broc" L.]

biped
5km run – (13-9-21) 31 (30-9-21)   [6:34, >5C]
quadruped
mostly playing.  chasing a rabbit around an enclosed yard

[Jason "broc" L.]

biped
5km walk - (17) 47min (25)   [6:45, <0C]
quadruped
went back to the driveway.  each attempt made it between 60-70ft and was done at a very slow and controlled pace.  small steps.  sometimes i even stopped to rest (without getting up or sitting down).
warm-up walk - (17-9min-21), 10sec HR for each attempt - (?-27-21/28*-23/28), ended the session with a 10sec HR of 21
no elbow pain or discomfort.  if i can continue, injury free, then i'll be able to start looking for improvement.  i need to do some major improving to come anywhere near my goal of a 5km quad walk/run
driveway is 325ft long.  that is about 1/16 of a mile and 1/10 of a kilometer
disappointing that i'm nowhere near it, but exciting considering the tremendous gains i'll have made when i get there

[Jason "broc" L.]

biped
5km run - (16-10min-23) 29min (31-10-22)
need to work on warming-up, so i'm going to start running shorter distances.  probably a mile
quadruped
tore a hole in my glove and had to stop early.  3 attempts between 78-108ft.  may try to up my max distance by 10ft every day and make at least two attempts over that.  also need to make more attempts

[Jason "broc" L.]

ridiculously hot today.  way above freezing
biped
5km walk - (18) 48min (24)   [11:00, >16C]
quadruped
decided to copy my biped routine and alternate days walking and running.  today was my first running day
3 attempts at the driveway.  first two made it 152ft and the last 134.  once my strength began fading fast, i decided to stop to avoid recklessly throwing my weight around and potentially damaging my elbows again

[Jason "broc" L.]

biped
5km walk - (16) 49min (19)
something doesn't feel right with my right leg, so i'm taking it easy today
quadruped
today was my first walking day and i wasn't sure what to practice.  so i just started walking and things came together. 
i realized that when my focus is on moving quickly, i bring my legs closer to my hands.  today i tried practicing the opposite.  interesting focus on my arms.  rebalanced myself after i noticed that i was throwing myself forward whenever my right arm was supporting
3 attempts, all made it to the same point 77ft down the driveway

[Jason "broc" L.]

biped
haven't walked yet today.  i'll edit it in later
finally far enough ahead of my troubles to replace my running shoes.  after that, i can resume my 10km training, which will, hopefully, give me the strength to run my 5km consistently under 30min
quadruped
running day.  so i ran.  running feels less about gaining strength and more about gaining familiarity and coordination. 
3 attempts that all made it 152ft down the driveway.  as my arms got weaker, i incorporated my legs more and moved much faster.  recklessly fast.  although i don't feel any immediate discomfort in my elbows, i'll be keeping an eye on them.  last time i went half that fast, i spent a week recovering from elbow pain.  however, back then i didn't put much focus on cushioning each step and after that recovery week, cushioning became the most important part of my training
despite my gains, the feeling that there is something missing continues to grow stronger.  it may be the large difference in strength between my upper and lower body.  so i'll return to push-ups, handstand practice and all that good stuff