Gnomefit

[GnomusMaximus]

Ya, I figure I'll do this again. Many of you know me, if you do not feel free to ask anything. I will answer all questions. I will offer no guarantees that the answers match the questions asked.

I am starting my own fitness program called Gnomefit. it is a general strength/fitness program for short,old,round people with jobs and families. Gnomefit is a mix of Powerlifting, Strongman, Weightlifting (Oly lifting), Highland Games, Crossfit, and Adventure Based outdoor activities. It is a 4 day/week program (2 on 1 off, 2 on 2 off).

Day 1 is Adventure based/cardio day - things like Mountain biking, trail waddling, XC skiing etc. If it is too bad out then stuff like rowing, indoor cycling etc.

Day 2 is Strength day - Squats, bench, DL, Press. If it is nice outside this will be used for strongman events.

Day 3 rest

Day 4 is Metcon day - Sort of your typical crossfit type day. Mix of cardio, bodyweight, and light lifting in repetitive cycles. Can be done inside or outside.

Day 5 is Power Day - Snatch, Clean and Jerk. If it is nice outside this day is used for throwing.

Day 6/7 rest

Simple, short, to the point...very gnome like.

[GnomusMaximus]

Things you need for Gnomefit - A barbell, plates, a jump rope some type of shoe, a place to run, a place to lift. a watch or kitchen timer... Everything else is extra.


Things that are nice to have for Gnomefit - a platform or stall pad, 45lbs(20kg) and 25lbs(10kg) bumper plates, a rack, a bench, a pull up bar, a medicine ball, a box strong enough to jump on, a pair of shoes to lift in, kettle-belles, a bike that will not fall apart if taken on some single track, rocks of various sizes

Other stuff that is cool but not really needed for Gnomefit - Outdoor equipment, Some type of cardio machine (Bike rower, etc.) Even more Bumper plates, rings, resistance bands, strongman implements, Highland Games Implements, weightlifting shoes, even more than the even more bumper plates, dumbbells

[GnomusMaximus]

So this is this week so far. I had to flop the strength day and cardio day this week because I had to do a presentation at work.



160131
Squat - lbs 135 205 255 280 300 325
B. Press - lbs 135 160 185 200 225 -
Jerk - lbs 135 165 185 195 205 210
(Everything Singles)

160201
Elliptical 30 minute

Today is Metcon Day...those are always hard.

[Marius_Ursus]

I've always like the simplicity in your approach to training.

In!

[GnomusMaximus]

160203
Metcon Day
M/G/W (14:37)
75 Single Jumps
15 Ring Rows
15 Jumping Bar Dips
15 Push Jerks @ 50kg (110lbs)
50 Single Jumps
10 Ring Rows
10 Jumping Bar Dips
10 Push Jerks @ 50kg (110lbs)
25 Single Jumps
5 Ring Rows
5 Jumping Bar Dips
5 Push Jerks @ 50kg (110lbs)

This was hard, thought I was going to hurl

Single Jump is just jumping a jump rope, you just don't go under your feet twice.
Jumping Bar Dips, take a bar in a rack about chest height, use a little hop to get up, lock out dip back repeat. Sort of trying to replicate the top of a "Muscle Up" - something i doubt I will ever do.


In a bit i will discuss the Metcon day and some things I steal from a certain popular workout theory and some things I don't.

[GnomusMaximus]

Metcon day is more or less a bunch of crossfit stuff. Basically it is what they call a triplet (3 movements) or chipper (4+movements). I try to pick one Monostructural conditioning movement (crossfit speak for cardio), one gymnastics move and one weightlifting move. They define Gymnastics as anything bodyweight oriented and weightlifting as anything where you are applying force to move an object...so box jumps would gymnastics, but wall ball tosses would be weightlifting. If you are ever curious about the method to their madness this is a good article:
http://library.crossfit.com/free/pdf...F_Template.pdf

Where I differ from what they say in crossfit.
- Rep scheme: I can't keep track of the numbers they use 21-15-9 or 7 and 3 when I am by myself and tired. I understand it lets you do lots of cool math combinations but I need to count on my fingers when I feel like my lungs are going to explode, so it is all in multiples of 5.

- Advanced skill moves: There is no good need for a man of my age to have a rope pass under my feet twice when I jump over it. I am not a 10 year old girl. I understand that the logic of doing things like handstand push ups and muscle ups is to develop the type of skills/fitness needed to increase your likelihood to perform/survive in unknowable situations. If I were to ever find myself in a situation where those type of skills were needed, I think it might be a question of the choices I made to get IN TO that situation...more so than me not having the skills to get out.

-Machines: I do not believe "machines are the enemy". Being lazy on machines is the enemy. It may be easier to be lazy on an elliptical than it is doing a 200 meter run, but in the end that is up to you, not the machine. So I use indoor bikes, elips etc.

[GnomusMaximus]

Today will be Power Day.

I'm sure most people here understand this concept but just for the heck of it. ...There is a difference between strength and power, Power has a time(speed) element to it. Strength is (to me) the force you can apply, power is your ability to apply that with speed. The sport of Powerlifting is completely misnamed, it should be like "strength lifting" or something like that. Sure Strength and Power overlap and influence each other but for my purposes they should be trained separately.

I think the best way to do this is with "Olympic" Lifts inside and throwing stuff outside. You can do this with the typical powerlifting events just do something like the West Side Dynamic effort days. 50% for a bunch of tripples, but do them fast. I find that boring so I do Snatches and Clean & Jerks instead.

[NorwichGrad]

I've always like the simplicity in your approach to training.

In!

I gotta agree with this.

"Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler." - Einstein.

Looking forward to your training vids with those cool Scottish tunes, Mr. G.

[GnomusMaximus]

Thanks guys, nice to be back. Got hurt a bit, I have a torn adductor which is apparently never going to heal. So I missed a few months. Learning how to work around it.

Today Power Day:

Snatch - kg 40x2 50x2 60 62 66 (146lbs)
Push Press- kg 80x3 84x2 (185lbs)
DL - kg 150x3 182 190(419lbs)

Kind of jumped the shark a bit. Been lifting with a group on Thursdays and one thing led to another.... and there were Deadlifts involved.

[GnomusMaximus]

Cardio/Outdoor day

40 min trail waddle
4 time driveway @ former boss' house

My old boss has a house at a ski resort, her driveway goes partway up the mt. No snow here (odd) other than the made/packed stuff so I just ran up and down the driveway 4 times. My boys went skiing.

[GnomusMaximus]

Strength Day:

Clean/Press-kg: 40x3, 50x2, 60x1, 66x1, 71x1
Thruster-kg (5 minutes): 60, 65,70,75,80

Since a) I did the DL's Thursday and b) was short on time I did a 5 minutes to set a 1 RM type thing with Thrusters. I like those kind of workouts.

[Marius_Ursus]

Is surgery an option for the adductor?

I hope it doesn't hurt too much. Chronic pain is a real botch.

[GnomusMaximus]

The surgery is to "release" it. That is a polite way of saying cut it the rest of the way and just let it sit there. I thought the Dr was messing with me until I talked to an old gf that is a PT and she confirmed it said she had worked with a few people. Apparently it gets rid of the pain but of course causes weakness until the other muscles compensate as best they can. The surgeon guy said there is a pretty good chance it will just do it on its' own. Said it will hurt like hell for a bit but then just be OK.

I can use the good old over sized Inzer Power Pants to do squats and DL's in. The problem is they are not legal in Oly lifting and even some strongman contests so I might be done there. They don't actually help much since I have them so big they sort of act more like a super bad arse compression short. the Dr. thinks they are more or less acting as almost an artificial tendon.

Unfortunately it is a pretty simple equation ....any squat hurts a little, a squat anywhere over 90kg(200lbs) hurts like a mo'fo', to the point that even I won't do it. Put on the pants and the pain is gone. It is "sore" for a bit after but I can deal with that.

Here's a link to a description.
http://www.bostonsportsmedicine.com/...b_protocol.pdf

[Marius_Ursus]

Oh, man. I'm really sorry to read that. It must hurt more than I can imagine, not just the physical pain, but like I felt when my doctor told me I wasn't going to be throwing ever again and forget strongman...but then I just sort of fixed it. Your injury doesn't sound like it's fixable at all, though.

Will you at least be able to throw? I'd like to meet up with you again at the Albany games.

[GnomusMaximus]

For anyone reading this that is not familiar with the concept of power pants. It is more or less the bottom of a squat suit...or if not familiar with a squat suit, imagine a super thick, super tight compression short.

http://www.inzernet.com/detail.asp?product_id=PWR_PNT

[GnomusMaximus]

Oh, man. I'm really sorry to read that. It must hurt more than I can imagine, not just the physical pain, but like I felt when my doctor told me I wasn't going to be throwing ever again and forget strongman...but then I just sort of fixed it. Your injury doesn't sound like it's fixable at all, though.

Will you at least be able to throw? I'd like to meet up with you again at the Albany games.

I think so, there are no rules against...anything.....in Highland Games. I might need an even bigger set just for comfort or maybe just the Rehbands will do. We'll see what happens when I throw. Unfortunately I think Albany is done. Jasen was talking about moving and last i heard was pretty sure the games weren't going to happen. There are a few in the Finger Lakes region in May and early June though.

[Marius_Ursus]

Unfortunately I think Albany is done. Jasen was talking about moving and last i heard was pretty sure the games weren't going to happen. There are a few in the Finger Lakes region in May and early June though.

Shit.

[GnomusMaximus]

It's all good, there are other ones. Paul Crest has one sometime in May and then the Hand Family does the Finger Lakes games in early June. My plan is to throw at the one in June, then Ithaca, Glasgowlands, and we'll see what happens after that because I am doing another cruise in August. If you want I can see if they have a masters spot in June, Glasgowlands takes people that have been there before and you have so there is a few there.

[GnomusMaximus]

Metcon day:

5 RoundsFor Time (19:17)
1.5 minutes on the indoor cycle
15 box jumps @1.5 feet
15 Wall ball shots @ 15 lbs

See what I did there...

Right now I am honestly thinking of just going over to the dark side and doing straight crossfit...I'm too old and small for this strongman stuff, I have stayed the same weight since I signed up here and have only made little bits of progress on my lifts/throws...well my overhead stuff is a lot better now...but that's a big part of cf. maybe it's just time I pack it up and try something semi - new....but I love the strength sport community so much. The other day I was watching a video of the crossfit games and thought it was really cool but then I put on a video of the Worlds Strongest man and I swear my heartrate went up and I wanted to start picking up stuff....oh well, just ranting senselessly.

[GnomusMaximus]

Power Day

Clean/Jerk-kg: 60x2, 70x2, 80, 90, 90, 85, 86, 88(194lbs)
Push Press-kg: 84 (185lbs) x 3 (Clean on first, 3 rep PR)

So after today I keep thinking I need to just focus on Oly Lifts...I'm beginning to sense a pattern....

[GnomusMaximus]

This is something I haven't had in years.....a workout partner. This is Brendan he owns his own gym (Beast Fitness in Potsdam NY). We train strongman and Olympic stuff together. Sometimes at his place, sometimes at mine. He is much younger and much stronger than me. It hurts after I lift with him. This is 150kg, he makes it look easy.



...oh ya, and he needs a freakin haircut.

[Big_Sky_Guy]

Senseless ranting, applied appropriately, can make sense. Abe Einstein

Good to see you back at it.



I am right there with you on not knowing what the right path forward is. More PL, more GPP, a mix...

[GnomusMaximus]

Ya, it's like I like all of it. I know I am not doing any of it as well as I can by doing all of it. That's one of the reasons I like crossfit, the little bit of everything aspect, but even then I don't do enough of the metcon work to be getting any better at that. Example is this weekend, I FINALLY have enough snow here to XC ski this weekend so I am psyched about it. I probably should do like a Thruster/Pull up couplet or something, but I'd rather ski.

[mirroroferised]

Great to see you back man. Sorry about the abductor.

[NorwichGrad]

Brendan is a beast.

No. No haircut. It will weaken him, like Samson.

[GnomusMaximus]

Great to see you back man. Sorry about the abductor.

It's all good. With the support gear it actually is OK. I just feel like an idiot wearing gear when I can only squat mid 3 ish. But the cool part is that it brings back why things like squat suits and bench shirts were actually invented in the first place. Guys with bad shoulders and toasted hips wanting to keep lifting. It wasn't until later they found out how much more you lifted. I think the bench shirt came to be because Inzer f'd his rotator cuff and didn't want to quit.

NG ya, Brendan is an animal. We lift at my school one night a week and all these kids hang out to watch. We are forming a really nice strength sport community in Northern New York. Very surprising given our low population.

[GnomusMaximus]

Adventure / Cardio day

45 minute XC ski
-37F here this morning, and I was hurling all last night so I figured I was going to miss it but by 1PM I was feeling better and it had warmed up to -17F. Anything over -20 is doable as long as you have the stuff.

Wasn't groomed but lots of tracks. Not sure what folks know about XC ski's but I 'll try to explain. Because of my weight and wider hips I use a more Back Country Ski and I have a very wide stride. Wide boards and wide legs makes following other tracks unpleasant. I tend to roll my ankles when I slide off the packed section of the track. Today I went on a plowed down maintanence road for a bit. Way more fun than going at a walking pace in the fresh stuff. Hopefully someone will get the groomer out in a day or so.

[GnomusMaximus]

Strength Day:

Front Squats-lbs: 135x2, 185, 205, 225, 240, 265, 280, 290
Press-lbs: 135x2, 145, 150,155,160,165
Jerk-lbs: 135,165,185,195,205
Hammer Curls-lbs: 45x8x2

Yes, I said curls.