Topic: Ash's Training Journal (Comments Welcome)

[-Ash-]

I haven't been feeling too good today. I went shoe-shopping, and found nothing that was any good. Having small feet sucks. 

Morning:

20 Elevated Crunches

Afternoon: (12:00-4:00)

Felt sick, and it was raining.

Night:

8lb bicep curls x 10
30 Crunches
5 REALLY elevated crunches
1:00min QM
5 40lb Lat Pulldowns
1 Climb-Up on staircase (just for fun)

[-Ash-]

Whoa, the weather is AWESOME today! Too bad it rained all last night...that's gonna make my rolls a little wet. I'm planning on going down town again today to practice wall climbs and kongs. (WITHOUT beating the sh*t out of my knee)

Today was awful. I couldn't do anything. I realized the walls that I got up yesterday were just about the same height as me, and I still can't do anything higher. I tried the walls again today that turned out to be the same size as me, and I couldn't get over them without literally crawling over. I attempted a gate vault, but was too scared. My monkies still suck.

Hell, I can't even climb my mailbox today...or do ONE dip. This totally sucks. 

EDIT: Well... Nothing done today of any use. I pulled my arm doing some unknown movement. I'll be resting for the next few hours of the day.

[-Ash-]

Well, today is rainy and miserable.

Morning:

15 Crunches
5 Elevated Crunches
20 Leg Lifts
15 Hip Thrusts
20 Push-ups

Afternoon:

5 Negative Rows
2 Pull-ups (not quite deadhang)
2 Chin-ups
3 Pull-up Negatives (5-7 seconds each) (I was feelin' the burn on these...wow...)

[-Ash-]

Today is actually a nice day. I'd be outside somewhere practicing, but everywhere is REALLY wet. I don't like slipping, and I definitely do not like getting soaked in muddy water.

Morning:

10 Crunches
20 Thigh Thrusts
20 Leg Lifts

Afternoon:

10 16lb bicep curls
10 (alternating arms) 16lb tricep curls (I guess that's what they're called.)
5 Dips x 5 (wall dips and normal dips)
1x2 10-second L-Sits
20 20lb Lat Pulldowns (By now it's like pulling down air... )
10 30lb Lat Pulldowns (Lots harder than the 20lbs.)
1x3 Pullups (bad form, not even close to a dead hang)
1x2 5 second Negative Pullup
1x3 Chinups (nearly deadhang, lots easier than the pull-ups. Probably bad form, too.)
50 meter (just guessing that's how far it was) sprint

Night:

Mmm! I just had the best dinner. I am actually full for the first time in weeks!

2:00min Random QM x 2

[-Ash-]

Today's nice. I feel great, too.

Morning:

10 Crunches
20 Thigh Thrusts
20 Leg Lifts
Other stuff I know I did but forgot what to call it and how many I did.

Afternoon:

2x3 Pull ups
3x1 Chin ups
3x2 Dips
Random other fooling around.
Random sprinting around my neighborhood. Getting better with it.

I did some wall run to climb ups on my mailbox. (which is a good six inches higher than me...lawlz...its a BIG mailbox) I got my hands flat on top and used my momentum, that's the only way I got up. I probably did about five of them.

Used the Duct-Tape under bar idea to do duct tape tic-tacs. Bascially, I set up some wood on one side, and the side of my house on the other side. I put duct tape between them...and duct tape tic-tacs! It was a little lower than waist height, right foot only. I was scared to use my left. I did some more tic-tacing, a few times down a three-stair stairway, and a few times onto some marks I made on the ground.

Yes, I know I shouldn't be doing tic-tacs until I have my basic vaults and stuff down, but hey, it isn't hard for me and I have nowhere to practice my vaults. (mom made me stop using the couch...she said I was breaking it)

Night:

30 Crunches
10 Elevated Crunches
20 Thigh Thrusts
20 Leg Lifts
20 Reverse Crunches
10 Cross Legged Crunches
10 Pushups
1 L-Sit (10 Seconds)
5 Dips

[-Ash-]

Today is really nice...except it's been a very sad day.

Morning:


20 Crunches
10 Elevated crunches (or maybe 20...I forget)
20 Thigh Thrusts
20 Leg Lifts
Other stuff I know I did but forgot what to call it and how many I did.

Afternoon:

I didn't really do much. A little walking around.

Night:

100m run x 2
Other random running. Probably 100m.
Some climb-ups on my very big mailbox. Once again, easy with my hands flat on top. I had no trouble.

I didn't feel like doing much else. My legs hurt.

[-Ash-]

I completed a few goals today.

Today is really pretty out. 80 degrees. 

Morning:

20 Crunches
10 Elevated crunches
20 Thigh Thrusts
20 Leg Lifts
20 Reverse Crunches
Various other things...

Afternoon:

My upper body strength just keeps getting better. 

3 Pullups x 2 (the third one on each set wasn't all the way up...)
Random dips anywhere I could do them.
About two miles of running on road, grass, and my back yard. All of which is pretty hilly.
Precision practice.
Lazy vaults.
A few wallruns. Nearly did a climb-up on a wall like 7' high.

Night:

[-Ash-]

Okay, so...my monkey vault looks more like a two handed vault. I'm guessing I need to lean forward more. Oh well, I found a great place to train. Lots of low rails in grass. That way, face plants won't leave as many marks. 

Well, I'm working on...I don't know what you'd call it. It's my new favorite way to get over thinks I can't just kong. (things like nipple height) Bascially, it's a wall run, but a lot easier because it's so low. I just kick back my leg to get into a monkey vault like position on top, like the last move in the climb-up. I'm working on getting all the way over the ledge.


Morning:

Usual training session to build core strength-

20 Crunches
10 Elevated crunches
20 Thigh Thrusts
20 Leg Lifts
20 Reverse Crunches
Various other things...

Afternoon:

I didn't really keep track. I did a few pull-ups and dips, but I mainly just practiced.

I went out to USI... It's really awesome there. It's beautiful, actually. Everything it new, the grass is lush and green... But do you know what's even more beautiful than that? It's like a square mile of hotspots. It's the perfect mix of concrete, metal, dirt, and grass. Every rail there is waist height; therefore, I can practice everything relatively easily. I am going to fix up my monkey there tomorrow if the weather lets me.

It's kinda hard not to take drops, there, though. I was on top of a wall that was like, 5' on one side, and I didn't realize it was like 10' to the ground on the other side and jumped off. D: All I can say is, good thing it was grass. I didn't even think to roll.

There are a few awkward things there, though... Like, otherwise perfect walls have rails on them EXACTLY where I would put my foot for the wall run. Or a rail just a LITTLE bit over a wall, that is awkward to get over, and messes up what little flow I have.

Too bad it was like..85 out. I got a killer headache and had to stop. I was exhausted though, so it was a day well spent. I felt relatively pleased with my work, no matter how bad it actually was.

I want to learn at least two easy tricks to do. Not like front flips... But maybe a palm spin and a side flip. Though I really agree with the parkour philosophy, it might make others think it's a little less weird so I could get some people around here to practice with me.

I'm out. I'm gonna leave off the night part of this entry, because I've just been lurking on forums all night.

[-Ash-]

Aw, damnint. It rained last night. 

Morning:

20 Crunches
20 Elevated crunches
20 Thigh Thrusts
20 Leg Lifts
20 Reverse Crunches
Various other things...

Afternoon:

I just did a turn vault!!

I just finished practicing at USI. The turn vault really widened my range of things to do. I actually can kind of flow now, if that's the term. Also today, I nearly did a complete wall climb with hands not flat on top of the wall. I am sure I will be able to get all the way up within a few days.

SO. My monkey vault is still messed up. I'ma try to spot my landing better and see how that helps.

Night:

Well... I did my morning core strength routine again. And then...

30 Push-ups
30 Squats (haven't done those in a while)

And random pull-ups/dips. I usually do lots of those in a day, just whenever. Basically... *is bored* *does dips*

[-Ash-]

Morning:

20 Crunches
20 Elevated crunches x 2
20 Thigh Thrusts
20 Leg Lifts
20 Reverse Crunches
20 Cross Leg Crunches
32 Push-ups (I'm getting good at this.)
10 Dips
20 5lb (in each hand) Bicep Curls
10 Dips
2 L-Sits (one about 8 seconds, the other about five...I had really good form, though)

That's all I did today. Mainly because I was at my aunts house all day, which didn't even have any places to practice precision jumps, and I have homework to finish tonight.

Night:

Last minute exercise! Changed my mind about only doing the above.

20 Crunches
20 Elevated crunches x 2
20 Thigh Thrusts
20 Leg Lifts
20 Reverse Crunches
20 Cross Leg Crunches

[-Ash-]

GOD DAMNIT! My monkey vault looks like a f#cking two handed vault! I've been trying to fix it ever since I started, and it's still shit! I can do it right on rails a little lower than waist height, but anything higher and I do some sort of two handed monkey vault hybrid. It is f#cked up!

[-Ash-]

I overcame some fear and did a lazy vault on my porch stairwell to a 5' drop. Yes, yes, I know I shouldn't be taking drops, but I just wanted to see if I could do it. I overcame the fear, and that is that. I will not do it again in less I have to.

NEXT THING TO OVERCOME: Turn vault on something where a turn vault would actually be useful.

Morning:

Nothing.

Afternoon:

4 Pull-ups (AT ONCE, HELL YES!)
5 Chin-ups (AT ONCE, HELL YEAH!)

[-Ash-]

I'm not going to put the morning/afternoon/night stuff today because I haven't don much. It's dreary outside today.

50 Push-ups
50 Crunches
50 Squats
3 Pull-ups x 2
2 Pull-ups
5 Chin-ups
3 Chin-ups
10 Dips (I think...)

[-Ash-]

Today was an amazing day of random stuff.

I did lots of pull-ups, chin-ups, dips, and so on today. I didn't count. SO

15 Pull-ups (Randomly, throughout the day, not at once.)
15 Chin-ups (Randomly, throughout the day, not at once.)
10x2 Dips
20 Dips (Randomly, throughout the day, not at once.)
15x2 Negative Rows
Climbed onto a wall a few inches higher than me a few times. I had my hands flat on top, so it was easy. (even easier than usual)

====================

I went out to a playground to practice vaults...I did it for about two minutes then dumbly did a lazy vault where there wasn't enough room to do a lazy vault, which resulted in slamming my knee into a bar. I then landed on the ground (mulch, luckily) and rolled around muttering "damnit" for a while. I then went home, and am now relaxing, lurking on my favorite forums.

On a better note, on the few minutes that I was there, I made my monkey vault look slightly better.

On a worse note, they re-mulched said playground. Now what used to be 2" above my waist is 2" below my waist. Or I got a lot taller and I didn't realize it.

ANYWAY, I am starting to develop calluses. 

[-Ash-]

I did nothing today. I didn't feel real great...so I was smart and didn't try to do anything. My knee stills hurts from hitting it again.

I think I'm getting sick. 

[-Ash-]

Well, I'm not sick. 

I went out to USI to practice. I didn't achieve what I wanted...the cat leap...because I was scared. Damn fear.

WELL, my monkey vault looks and feel a little better...half the time. I still need to learn the speed vault. (YES, YES, I KNOW, I DON'T KNOW THE SPEED VAULT! GET OVER IT!)

My turn vault is...messed up. I need to find a place where I would actually use it to see if it's just my mind.

WELL... I did a few wall-runs... A good 7' 6". I could get my neck over the top...but I couldn't get up.

=========

I did some pull-ups, chin-ups, and dips at random today.

[Jon E]

You seem to be training harder and harder which I think shows great improvement! Keep up the good work!

[-Ash-]

I try...

Thanks!

==========

Heading out to USI in a bit. Gonna drill monkeys and turn vaults.

I stuck to my plan; I drilled both. I did about 20 monkies until they were perfect. PROBLEM SOLVED; FOR NOW! My turn vault also feels a lot better now.

It felt awesome practicing today. I just did little things...kongs on waist height stuff and such. After I fixed the monkey...everything felt less choppy. Even my walking. It makes no noise now... And my landings make a tiny *thud* instead of *SLAP*.

[-Ash-]

*sigh* I had no confidence today, and I was scared to try my monkey again. I felt like I was going to clip...but I've never clipped before. I literally had butterflies... I ended up just going back home.  I have a feeling I didn't fix my monkey like I thought. 

Well...

40 Push-ups
20 Squats
4 Pull-ups
5-Pull-ups
4 Pull-ups
3 Pull-ups
10 Dips
30 sec QM
10 Negative Rows
5 Negative Rows
6 Negative Pull-ups (at least 5 seconds each)

I'm shit.  I may have done all of the above, but I chickened out on a monkey vault. Worse, on the very rail I learned it on.

*facedesk*

[Matt Downing]

Hey, browsed through your log, seems that youve made some progress......
One thing i did notice is the lack of motivation, never tell yourself you are shit, that will only hurt you...even if a training day sucks, make it up the next, do something epic or something like that, focus on positive thoughts, dont wanna sound like some sappy optimist feel good person, but srsly, keep it up, and once you get better, youll want to keep going and get on a roll.

Thats my ten cents...my two cents is free

-Matt