Entry #500

I'm down to 208 lbs. (while on creatine).

Floor press:
5 X 3     135, 185, 225, 255, 275 lbs.
1 X 2     285 lbs.
> As I thought, it was a matter of form. There are still nuances to get used to, but considering I barely managed 275 for a single last week, this was compensation. I'll be back and beyond at 315 soon.

Incline dumbbell press:
3 X 8     95 lb. dumbbells
> Much better ROM here than last week.

Bent-over dumbbell rows:
5 X 10   100 lb. dumbbells

Seated lateral raises:
3 X 6     30 lb. dumbbells

Abdominal circuit

Entry #499

I ran another four laps to LGHS and back on another crowded football night. Some noisy highschool kids were walking around in the dark and waving glow-sticks, and I heard one say, "Look, someone's coming." I changed course to run right into their path and shout, "I'm the champ, get your last look!" before dodging at the last second. I also ran backwards at one point, and did the usual sprint over the bridge on the last lap. Fooling around took out a lot of the monotony. I enjoy distance running in general, but when it's dark and crowded, I have to be extra precarious to obstacles, so I can't relax and retreat into myself the way I like to do.

Entry #498

I couldn't find my jab today. My right is still faster than my left (since I started out southpaw), even though I'm now more comfortable with a righty stance (which entails a left jab). I slowed myself down on the bag and focused on mechanics. What ensued: I kept myself extremely compact, almost in peek-a-boo, pushed with my hips to rotate my left side towards the bag, shot out my arm, and retracted. All of a sudden, it clicked in. Dissecting my form like that was invaluable.

To drill them further, I took off the gloves and shadowboxed in front of a mirror, placing emphasis on keeping a straight line with the jab to remove any semblance of "cat pawing". It's something that occurs from laziness during shadowboxing, without the commitment of maintaining a level plane with a punch that has no physical target to land upon.

I'm undeniably limited without a gym and faces to beat up, but all in due time.

Entry #497

Squats:
4 X 5     135, 185, 225, 275 lbs.
1 X 4     285 lbs.
> The bar was set unevenly on the last set, so I chose reracking early over falling over, as funny as it would have been to land on the dude standing behind me.

Lunges:
3 X 8     80 lb. dumbbells

Romanian deadlifts:
4 X 8     225 lbs.

Weighted crunches:
3 X 12   50 lbs. of plates

Grip work

Entry #496

This is by far the most crowded day of the week when I lift. If it weren't for the fact that everybody is there to do plyometrics and machines, it would have been unusable today. The only areas that were free were both power racks, the pull-up bar, and some bench press benches.

It's actually a good deal, when given some thought. It can be likened to symbiosis in nature, or mutual relationships between parasites and hosts. For example, mycorrhizae are a type of fungus that live
with the roots of many plants.
The fungus helps the plant by facilitating water and nutrient absorption from
the surrounding soil, helping the plant to tolerate extreme conditions such as
drought and high soil acidity, and protecting it from some harmful pathogens. In
return, the fungus gets an ample food supply and a safe refuge from harmful
soil conditions. With that, the rest of the gym inhabitants are the fungi, and they provide me with ample space and equipment to train where I need to. I return the favor by avoiding the preacher curl machine and the like (although I couldn't use the standing bag to warm-up because somebody was playing hopscotch through a rope ladder layed on the floor).

Speed bench:
8 X 3     185 lbs.
> The fastest I've ever been on this. Before, I hadn't been drawing in my elbows like I should have. The barbell was exploding up so that at one point, I actually reracked it on top of the two columns where the pins protrude out of by accident. On a sharp calorie deficit, this is a new precedent for me.

Barbell skullcrushers:
2 X 8    135 lbs.
1 X 6    135 lbs.
> The wuss squad was talking it up by the dumbbells, so I just used an Olympic bar on a bench press bench, facing the opposite direction. I had to power clean the weight up to get in position, which posed no problem. Getting out of it, I used to curl the load back up onto the pins, but now I just sit-up while keeping it in power clean position. Very easy.

Weighted chin-ups:
2 X 8     10 lbs.
1 X 8     15 lbs.
1 X 6     15 lbs.
1 X 5     15 lbs.

Barbell shrugs:
2 X 10   325 lbs.
2 X 10   335 lbs.
> Stupidly easy. My grip was ironclad.

Bag work

Entry #495

Box squats (barefoot):
10 X 2     225 lbs.
> Used a lower stool, with two plates stacked on.

Good mornings:
5 X 8     135 lbs.
>
I was a tad sloppy with 155, so I'm going through the motions again.

Weighted cable crunches:
5 X 12     Entire stack

Crush Trainer:
5 X 5, with 5 second timed holds on the last rep of the second to last set and 10 seconds on the last rep of the last set.

Entry #494

Floor press:
3 X 3     135, 185, 225 lbs.
2 X 1     275 lbs.
> Holy horseflies, Batman! My form was completely off on this. It's most certainly an issue of coordination over strength because I had a much easier time with these same numbers on bench press. I changed position and made subtle nuances in my set-up between every set, but none felt right. Just a few months ago, I was putting up 315 for 3.
Another setback to conquer. Excellent. Wait in line, chump.

Incline dumbbell press:
3 X 8     90 lb. dumbbells

Bent-over dumbbell rows:
3 X 10   100 lb. dumbbells

Seated lateral raises:
2 X 6     30 lb. dumbbells
> I was running low on time at this point.

Entry #493

> Four laps to LGHS and back.
> Laps in the pool.
> Shadowboxing.
> Uphill sprints, jogging backwards on the way down.

It was also raining. That ruled.

Entry #492

Today was a break day, which means bag work. My back has been getting less and less stiff after every deadlift day, but it was still a hindrance. I also went on a walk, which is only notable in that my back felt much more nimble afterwards.

Just out of curiosity, I looked up a favorite book of mine, POWER by Dr. Hatfield, and they have it for cheap on Amazon. I stumbled upon it a few years ago in high school, in the library. I used to wolf down my lunch and run to the library to read it and The Boxing Encyclopedia for the rest of the period. It will be a valuable training asset.

This doesn't really correlate with any training, but I've also been reading The Devil and Sonny Liston. I used to only know Liston as the "big ugly bear" that a young Muhammad Ali beat twice, but he was a monster in the '50s. He destroyed Floyd Patterson in one round to claim the heavyweight title, and then repeated that first-round knockout in defending his title for the rematch. Genetically, he was born to fight: he was "only" 6' tall, but his reach dwarfed Ali's, despite Ali being 6'3. And he was completely jacked, muscle-wise, for that era. Reportedly, he also had the largest fists in heavyweight history, with solid bricks 15 inches around. Nobody is even certain when he was actually born. He died in 1970 under mysterious circumstances; some allege to murder by the mob he was associated with. Despite his lonely, difficult life and his stone-faced scowl that won fights before he even threw a punch and warranted his nickname "The Executioner", he was said to be very appreciative and jovial to fans and children. A very interesting, however tragic, read.

Entry #491

I was dancing and shadowboxing between sets of deadlifts to loosen my back up when a girl approached me and said, "Um, hey."
I roared, "HEY" (I was short of breath).
"So...are you a wrestler?"
"No. Would-be boxer."
"Boxer? Wow..."
I pointed to her noodle arms and asked, "You a bodybuilder?"
"Hah, no! I play soccer."
I never would have fathomed. At that point, my rest time was up. Hopefully, she's inspired to go and watch Pumping Iron.

Deadlifts:
5 X 5     135, 185, 225, 275 lbs.
1 X 3     315 lbs.
1 X 4     315 lbs.
1 X 3     315 lbs.
> Performance fluctuated a bit. Hwahahaha. I have just the remedy for this lift next week. A combination of deeper box squats (which directly influence both deads and squats, according to a Westside article) and heavy power shrugs to forge my grip back to where it used to be will prime me up. It must be said, to go from straining with 275 as a main lift two weeks ago to using it as an easy warm-up today is a noteworthy mark of improvement.
I have to wonder how much a training session like Tuesday's has affect on this, though. Clean and jerks wear out my back (not in an unexpected and/or detrimental way), and shrugs with 115 lb. dumbbells does a number on my hands. My callouses burned like lava today.

Lunges:
4 X 8      80 lb. dumbbells
> My grip failed after the last rep of the last set, but at least I completed it. An improvement over last week.

Good mornings:
3 X 8     155 lbs.

Weighted crunches:
5 X 12   50 lbs. of plates stacked on chest

Crush trainer:
5 X 5     5 second timed holds on second to last set, 10 seconds on last

Entry #490

Some women were occupying my warm-up room with exercise bikes. I couldn't do anything with the bag today.

Clean and jerk:
6 X 3     135 lbs.
> Pull up more on the first portion of the movement. I consciously kept this in mind, and it made all the difference.

Skullcrushers:
4 X 8     55 lb. dumbbells

Weighted pull-ups:
2 X 8     10 lbs.
3 X 5     10 lbs.
> I do these with a plate in a bag wrapped over my neck, and when I took it off too fast the first time, I smacked myself in the brow with it quite hard. I wish to keep the mental image of that alive for years to come, hence recording this.

Dumbbell shrugs:
3 X 12   115 lb. dumbbells
> It was my intent to go heavier, but apparently, 115 is the biggest dumbbell they have.

Entry #489

I was reading some older entries, and I thought this was interesting. From October 17, 2005:

"Deadlifted 315lbs for 5 reps. Felt strong, maybe could have done more,
but I want to be safe going into a weight I've never done before. Back
injuries are the worst. Deadlift seems to be my best lift since I seem
to adapt to new weight relatively fast compared to bench and squat. I
expect to break 400lbs in no time."

I'm almost at that exact same place now, two years later. There will be Hell to pay.

I'm gaining more stamina on the heavy bag. I savaged through a seven minute round in the afternoon. Head movement and bobbing was exceptionally quick today. It's ironic that I lack a camera in the period when I'm improving the most.

I must make sure to warm-up with more shadowboxing. My left shoulder started feeling tender from all of the shovel-hooks, which I have been blasting with great proficiency. I'm crouching down and getting excellent traction in shooting back up with it. The same applies for uppercuts.

At night, another cardio circuit:

> Four laps to LGHS and back.
> Laps in the pool.
> Shadowboxing.
> Uphill sprints, jogging backwards on the way down.

Entry #488

Bag-work (with gloves, this time)

Box squats (barefoot):
10 X 2     225 lbs.
> I was much more explosive at about set five and upwards. Everything just clicked in. I felt like I had retrieved my old snap back.

Romanian deadlifts:
5 X 8     175 lbs.
> The same as above. I was like a machine on this. The weight isn't exceptionally high to begin with, but it was much easier this week with 20 lbs. more on the bar than last.

Weighted Janda sit-ups:
3 X 8     10 lb. plate
> Very awkward. To compensate for the lack of a partner, I set a loaded barbell up behind the sides of the power rack to prevent it from rolling forward, and then lay on the ground with my calves in front, using that to pull myself up. It was jerky and my feet kept moving out of place. I'll keep working on this.

Crush Trainer:
5 X 5, with 5 second timed holds on the last rep of the last set.

I renounced pizza tonight for bland tuna and brown rice. It's time to get serious. I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a meal anyways. When I'm bulking, I hate all food. When I'm cutting, I deny the food that I want. Except for maybe beef jerky. I'll have to get some of that.

Entry #487

Today should not have happened. First, the gym closes at 7:00 on weekends. I realized at 5:00 that I had run out of whey, and my ride to the store didn't work out, so I just walked to Whole Foods and back to get some. With an hour left, I ran to the gym, where I finished a lifting session that I normally take a good two hours to complete in only forty-five minutes while winded and hungry. What's more, I did better than last week.

Bench press:
1 X 15   45 lbs.
3 X 3     135, 185, 225 lbs.
1 X 2     265 lbs.
> Rest times spanned about a minute.

Overhead dumbbell press:
1 X 8     80 lb. dumbbells
1 X 5     80 lb. dumbbells
1 X 6     60 lb. dumbbells
> Focus on kicking up each leg individually for the set-up. I keep falling short on one side because of inadequate height.

Bent-over rows:
5 X 10    155 lbs.

Front raises:
3 X 12    25 lb. plates
> Killed the forearms.

Abdominal circuit

Walked home, as always. I also discovered a bunch of boxing equipment stashed away in a cabinet in one of the rooms. There were various gloves, mitts, chest-protectors, and even the ever elusive weight-belts. I've struck gold.

Entry #486

I did a cardio circuit tonight.

> Three laps to LGHS and back.
> Laps in the freezing pool.
> Sprints up and down Agony Hill.
> Bare-knuckle rounds on the heavy bag.

It was a noisy run. There was a football game going on tonight at the high school. Everytime I heard the crowd roar, I pretended that they were cheering for me as heavyweight champion.

I'm losing weight fast, but I'm also getting stronger, and that's all I care about.

Entry #485

I felt like a zombie hitting the heavy bag today. My back was stiff, so I couldn't bob and weave as quickly as I would like, and my shoulders were sore. I trained at a slightly slower, more deliberate pace to work more on form.

Tonight, I went to the track. Somebody was locking it up, but he said I could use it for thirty more minutes. I alternated between jumping rope and shadowboxing.

Entry #484

Bag-work

Deadlifts:
6 X 5     135, 185, 225, 295, 295, 295 lbs.
> It was my intent to keep working with 275, but really, weight in this range just isn't that challenging.

Lunges:
3 X 8      75 lb. dumbbells
1 X 7      75 lb. dumbbells
> My grip failed on the last rep of the last set. I've always done lunges after squats, not deadlifts.

Good mornings:
3 X 8     145 lbs.
> Everytime I do these, that dude from Tekken who says "GOOD MORNING"  at the start-up screen pops up in my head. This is important enough to type out.

Weighted cable crunches:
5 X 12     Entire stack
> No idea what the number was. I just set it as heavy as it could go.

Crush trainer:
5 X 5
> Timed holds on the last set.

Entry #483

Clean and jerk:
5 X 3     145 lbs.

Skullcrushers:
1 X 8     50 lb. dumbbells
3 X 8     55 lb. dumbbells

Pull-ups:
4 X 8    
1 X 5
> I lost it on the last set. I'm just going to go ahead and train with weights on this next time. My results here have been rather stagnant the last few months, not to mention consistently shoddy. Sometimes I'll blow through them, and other times I'll burn out early.

Dumbbell shrugs:
3 X 10   115 lb. dumbbells

Ran home.

This was the first time in years that I've appeared in public with a short-sleeve shirt, much less trained in one at all. I didn't like it. Bring the sweatshirt next time.

Entry #482

I ran another trio to LGHS and back. It was much easier today. Next time, I'll try for four. No bag-work, in order to give my cut-up hands a break, but I did do some shadowboxing.

Also, I picked up an issue of Black Belt magazine, and it's like Muscle and Fitness for martial arts. Between advertisements promoting top-secret fighting styles conceived by "Lieutenant X" for sale and articles with gems like "strength and speed are usually in direct opposition...most really strong guys aren't fast", and...actually I've lost the desire to complete this sentence.

Entry #481

I cut my knuckles hitting the bag again. It was from a scrape, not repeated pounding like in the circumstances of the picture.

Box squats (barefoot):
8 X 3     225 lbs.

Romanian deadlifts:
5 X 8     165 lbs.

Weighted crunches:
5 X 12   50 lbs. of plates
> Each rep held for three seconds.

Crush Trainer:
5 X 5

Entry #480

I was dancing around and hitting the bag at the gym today when a bunch of little kids ran in the room and started yelling "ROCKY!" behind me. I was going to scold them, but then I thought that they might actually be calling me Rocky Marciano instead of Sylvester Stallone Rocky (they weren't, but I'll give them the meak benefit of the doubt so they look good). One of them, who couldn't have been more than three years old, ran up and started hitting it when I was taking a breather. I showed him how to punch it properly, and to keep his free hand up when he hits. I even did the Ali shuffle for him, which is normally top-secret. He's a lucky boy. When I was his age, I was punching at air in a karate class.

That was the warm-up.

Bench press:
2 X 15   45 lbs.
4 X 3     135, 185, 225, 255 lbs.
1 X 2     265 lbs.
> Still short of the mark, but a substantial improvement over last week - 20 lbs., to be precise (and technically, more, when considering the extra set). I'm going to blast through this.

Overhead dumbbell press:
1 X 15   15 lb. dumbbells
1 X 8     80 lb. dumbbells
1 X 5     80 lb. dumbbells
> I slipped in the set-up on the last set. I keep the dumbbells on my knees and then kick up to raise them above me, but I wasn't paying attention and didn't use the momentum properly, so I had to practically curl the thing up. Affected performance.

Bent-over rows:
2 X 10   165, 165 lbs.
1 X 5     165 lbs.
1 X 8     135 lbs.
> Completely burned out on this. I'll just start at 155 next time.

Front raises:
3 X 16   25 lb. plates
> Killed the forearms.

Abdominal circuit

It was a little frustrating being challenged by weights I've conquered before, especially on bench press, but moreso than that, I like the challenge and the meaning of redemption. I remember a more drastic rut I was in when I had dropped from 185 lbs. to 170 a few years back and lost a significant amount of strength. In retrospect, these circumstances are worth it. For what I lost then, I gained patience and an ironclad mind. The body does what the mind tells it, not vice-versa.

Final note: started loading on creatine today.

Entry #479

I did a lot of bagwork yesterday and today, and my arms felt like lead. I don't know what was wrong, but I wasn't exploding out like I could before. The hits were hard - I've made significant improvements in learning to throw my bodyweight behind blows - but they were slower than usual, without much snap. It's probably DOMS from jumping into such intense lifting after an amount of time off, but I'll keep working this.

I'm actively cutting weight now. I've decided that I won't mind dropping down to even 190 if I can keep, and indeed, improve upon, my strength. Then, I can bulk back up to 230 and beyond with everything I've gained. The problem is that I lose weight so quickly that when I actually try to cut, I overshoot by 10 lbs. or so. I'm going to eat clean, but big  in order to keep as minimal a calorie deficit (double negative) as possible.

Entry #478

Deadlifts:
6 X 5     135, 185, 225, 275, 275, 275 lbs.
> Far away from my old number of 405, but this is still a milestone. It was easy, too. I'll stick with this for another two weeks, and then switch to 315.

Lunges:
1 X 8     60 lb. dumbbells
2 X 8     75 lb. dumbbells

Good mornings:
3 X 8     135 lbs.

Weighted crunches:
5 X 12   50 lbs. of plates

Entry #477

I began in the afternoon with hitting the heavy bag. I've still no access to my camera. My legs are sore enough that I had difficulty getting good traction, so my hooks didn't have quite as much power leaned into them as usual. The bag stand didn't even tip over today. I'll get him next time.

Clean and jerk:
6 X 3     135 lbs.
> Do not let the back waver under pressure. Keep tight. More from laxity than any actual fatigue.

Skullcrushers:
4 X 8     50 lb. dumbbells
> Mild tendonitis feeling on the first set. Warm-up more.

Pull-ups:
5 X 8    

Dumbbell shrugs:
1 X 10   95 lb. dumbbells
1 X 12   115 lb. dumbbells
1 X 12   95 lb. dumbbells
> A girl and her dad came right in front of me and started doing endless sets of lat raises while chatting. They were blocking the big 115's, and I was about to leave anyways, so I just went back to the 95's, rather than ask them to move and then attemp to stomp past and through the tiny space back to my spot with 115 lbs. in each hand. Neither weight posed much challenge.

Entry #476

This is yesterday's recording:

Box squats:
5 X 3     245 lbs.
> I'll hand it to them, there're a nice set of sturdy stools varying in height next to the rack that serve this purpose perfectly. It's much less cumbersome than stacking plates.

Romanian deadlifts:
5 X 8     155 lbs.
> Intentionally light. My back was too stiff to allow a full ROM, and I had to bend my knees slightly more than need be.

Weighted crunches:
5 X 12   50 lbs. of plates
> Each rep held for three seconds.

CoC Trainer:
5 X 5
> Held the last rep of the last set for five seconds. Easy, but I'll continue to work with this for a few more weeks. My hands are usually sore from all the bagwork I do.

Shadowboxing

Today, I did another three-lapper to LGHS and back. My sweatshirt had just come out of the dryer, so it was scorching hot in it, and combined with the fact that it was warmer today than of recent weather circumstances and my legs felt like lead from the squats yesterday, it was one of the hardest runs I've been on. I did not waver, though.

Entry #475

I'm down to 212. I've lost more than 20 lbs. That's not of much concern to me; I can bulk back up at my own choosing. What matters is strength.

Bench press:
2 X 15   45 lbs.
3 X 3     135, 185, 225 lbs.
1 X 2     245 lbs.
> This is the only lift that suffered, and suffer it did. Still, I'm not convinced it's from losing gains just yet. As I foresaw last entry, I was still sore coming into the session, and perhaps more importantly, there's much about the movement to become accustomed to once again. In any case, this number won't stay like that for long.

Overhead dumbbell press:
1 X 15   15 lb. dumbbells
1 X 10   45 lb. dumbbells
1 X 5     80 lb. dumbbells

Bent-over rows:
5 X 10   65, 135, 155, 155, 155 lbs.
> This dumb gym has two giant plates that look like 45's, but are actually hollow, plastic 10 pounders. It's funny to use them and add an entire wheel onto the bar for basically nothing.

Front raises:
3 X 12   25 lb. plates
> Substituting weight plates for dumbbells kills the forearms. I like it.

Abdominal circuit

Entry #474

I couldn't film anything today because my camera is MIA. Someone else must have it.

Today was painfully easy, which is saying something because I did three laps to LGHS and back again. I desperately want to go out and train right now, but it's late and I need to sleep for the next day. At least it's in anticipation of more training. My arms are still sore from Tuesday, so I may not be able to bench as much as I intend to tomorrow. 

Entry #473

My triceps are still sore from Tuesday, but I fought through it and prevailed in bag training today. I'm going to start filming my performance from tomorrow again. The last series of videos I recorded was of great benefit to me.

I'm forcing myself through longer rounds, and it's working. I don't even bother timing them, but I will tomorrow for the sake of record. All I did was punch until my side felt like it was about to explode. I gritted my teeth and kept working. Immediately after I finished, I ripped off my gloves and jogged over to Agony Hill, where I sprinted up to the top and ran back home.

Entry #472

Iron, at last.

It's an extremely disorganized gym. There's no one theme for each room, except for the cardio area. Free weights are mixed with the machines. There are two power-racks, which I prefer over squat-racks, but one of them is a wobbling piece of weakling. During hise shrugs, I reracked only 155 lbs., and the loose supports slipped out, crashing everything into the ground (which isn't rubberized in that room, unlike the entire facility of my previous gym). The other one looks sturdy enough, at least. And there is a punching bag, albeit a tiny, flimsy stand-mounted one.

There's also barely any space to walk. If the place were any more crowded, it would be unusable.

Everything was light for today's session.

Bag warm-up

Military press:
5 X 5
135 lbs.

Skullcrushers:
4 X 8
50 lb. dumbbells

Pull-ups:
5 X 5

Hammer curls:
2 X 8
55 lb. dumbbells

Hise shrugs:
2 X 15

I prefer my old option, but this has what I need, and that's all I care about. And, luckily, they don't play any music.

Entry #471

I've finally applied for a membership at the Athletic Club. From the second tour, it looks like it has everything I need. Even better, barely anyone uses it. Of all the times I've been here, I've seen only one person in the free-weight rooms.

Closing time was within minutes, so I wasn't able to train there tonight. By the schedule I've concocted so far, my next session will be on Tuesday. They don't have any speed or punching bags, like the old gym, so there's little incentive in going tomorrow, other than the fact that membership is expensive enough that I want to get as much out of it as possible. I may drop by and shoot some hoops or something.

Entry #470

On a brief note, on the verge of succumbing to sleep (just kidding -- I succumb to nothing; I'll choose when I want to), I ran three laps to LGHS today, as opposed to my usual, and quite tiresome, two. My conditioning is exploding rapidly.

Ent

Entry #469

I've concluded that it would be in the best interest of my schedule to move two of my lifting days on the weekend in order to avoid conflicts. I'll begin ME day this Saturday.

Entry #468

I've mostly been indulging my mind with reading in preparation for tomorrow. I intend to continue my routine where I left off.

And as I renew my driver's license, gaining me regular transportation to Dreamland Boxing Gym, I'm organizing what my schedule will consist of next semester. I had everything typed out to post, but I made enough adjustments to the point that I still have much to work on. It will be packed, regardless. Structuring this requires long-term strategy.

Entry #467

I've obtained access to a free day pass at the LG Athletic Club through confidential and highly illegal means (read: they have a printable coupon on their website). This looks to be more apt for my situation. If I do sign with them, there's no contract involved, so I can switch gyms at any point if I find a cheaper solution.

I went for a run to the video store and back. It felt like nothing. Just a few months prior, I couldn't even make it halfway without my ankles dying, and that was at a lower weight.

Entry #466

Today, I went to Anastasia with the intent of lifting. I was told that it opens in a month. Apparently, many others bought into their date (the latest of several), because there was a receptionist actually waiting outside at the gate to inform people, as they stepped out of their vehicles in the parking lot, that it's not open.

Forget this.

I wonder how much power I've lost from these buffoons. It won't matter, in the end.

Training on the heavy bag is bringing newfound intensity, and I'm tiring on it extremely fast. I'll keep this up until I can cruise at this level. The standing bag made for a good warm-up.

One last note: I forfeited a good job opportunity as a journalist for a website because I refused to advertise for them, which goes against my principles. Why would I recommend something to others that I hardly know anything about? I applied for another job at a local sporting goods store, but I received an email infoming me that they have no openings, and that they're even over-stocked in terms of workers. For some reason, the manager wants to meet me. Hopefully, he'll rip off his cleanly-pressed suit, jump over the store counter, and engage me in fatal combat without warning. I plan on stopping by after I pay another visit to the athletic club by the high school.

Entry #465

George and I walked over to Vasona and spent the evening/night smashing dead tree trunks in half over at the dam. I ran to and from his house both ways, and my level of cardio is the best it's ever been.

Entry #464

Conditioning continues. I'm working up to three laps to the school and back. I'm up to two and a half. I smashed my elbow onto a chair edge earlier today, and it affected shadowboxing slightly, but I was eventually able to work through it fully.

I'm brushing off some rust from having not driven to anywhere in a long time, not only because I lack a car at the moment, but also since almost everything that I need is within walking-distance, which I prefer to go by when I have the choice between my legs and a car. My driving instructor asked me if I weightlifted, and we spent the entire lesson with him asking questions about training and boxing. He was never into boxing before, but I insisted to him that he missed out. He was born in the '40s, so I asked him if he knew about relevant champions from around that era. We went down the line, and he wasn't very familiar with Joe Louis, Rocky Marciano, or Sugar Ray Robinson, but when I asked "Muhammad Ali?", he instantly replied, "Oh yeah, of course" and we had some fights to talk about. I promised that I'd print out Beyond Bodybuilding for him on Tuesday.

Then I told him that I was going to be champion of the world someday and that he's contributing to it by helping me drive to the boxing gym.

Entry #463

Anastasia Gym's opening has been delayed until September 3. Their only hint at the pricing is that it will "definitely be under $100". I don't know who this Anastasia thinks she is, but I'm going to power-clean her through the roof.

I plan to do workout #2 from trainforstrength.com until the third, do eight weeks of powerlifting with my current program, and then switch to a bodybuilding routine for six weeks.

This past month has consisted of running and bagwork, daily. Now that I have my camera back, I can film my performance for self-critique. Today was a lesson in proper-form: have it. I keep relaxing with my hands the longer I hit, and eventually my wrists start bending. Bare-knuckle work would force off my reliance of hand-wraps; I automatically put stricter attention into doing that. They'd work for a warm-up.

Entry #462

I've returned.

Tomorrow, the new gym opens. I haven't lifted for a number of weeks now, but I've been training daily. I don't believe that I could have lost any strength, but if I did, it's of no concern. I'll simply gain it back.

One new picture:

Entry #461

I no longer have regular access to the internet. This log has come to an indefinite halt.

Entry #460

George and I went on a four-hour hike. Unfortunately, we didn't get attacked by mountain lions, but we did trek through a section of the mountain that was completely charred black from a fire with ravens passing overhead. We also came across a huge, battle-scarred wolf spider with two legs missing because limbs are for weaklings. Anyways, I'm probably going to die from inhaling dangerous carcinogens, which is a measure of true strength.

The agonizing training I've been inflicting upon myself paid off. Near the end, my legs were stricken with two painful cramps. It felt like knives were stabbed into my flesh, which would rule if I actually had the satisfaction of seeing that. Since I did not, the deal was cheapened, and as my eyes rose up after checking to see if I was impaled, I was faced with a monstrous uphill slope that seemed to expand for miles. That's because it did. I decided to continue until my muscles were physically incapable of supporting my body up, so I stomped forward through the cramps. The pain was great, and my legs spasmed at times, but I didn't slow down at all the entire way.




Fighting George:

Entry #459

George and I dropped by the "Athletic Club" (they changed the name) yesterday. I knew the deskman from high school: Nick. He refereed the beach fight that George and I had at Santa Cruz. As I walked in, his female assistant came up to the counter for formalities. Before she could speak, I held up my hand in interruption, and then solemnly grunted, "Weights." Nick stepped forward and nodded grimly, and then told me to follow. As we walked overhead, my eyes glazed over at the basketball court, the ab room, the machines...and then, in the last square, unused in the far corner, stood the power rack in all its glory. Human skulls littered its forefront, forming a metaphoric pedestal for permissive access. Rivers of molten lava crackled and simmered around it. Woe to the unbalanced. I whipped out my hand in front of my guide to signal the halt. He glanced down at my object of interest and shakily murmured, "Y-yes, the free weights...I don't know a whole lot about weightlifting, but they're pretty heavy, as you can see, and-" I held up my hand for silence again, and then voiced my approval. We walked back to the entrance. George spoke nothing, knowing better than to interrupt the grave procedure. The girl breathed a deep sigh of relief in seeing her compatriot return safely. Our work was finished.*

*Anecdote slightly dramatized.

Anyways, the membership pricing is rather steep. I'm going to hold out until the 20th, when the replacement gym for the old facility opens, so that I can compare options. The new one is called "Anastasia". I can only surmise that evil Soviet businessmen are in charge now. That would bode excellent for the atmosphere. In any case, I'm going to make due with TrainForStrength.com work-outs.

I did a double-run to the high school today in the 95 degrees heat, and it was vastly easier than before. Last month, I had trouble with just one, but today, I felt like I could have done a third go (but opted not to out of mercy for my ankles, which are improving in their own right, but through steady, careful progress). Afterwards, I was able to hit the heavy bag significantly for the first time in weeks. With hundreds of pounts of weight anchoring the bag stand down, in addition to the bag itself, the entire contraption still tips over with a solid hook. I'll have to get creative with stabilizers.

I'm placing a recent favorite here so I don't have to trudge through YouTube to watch it when I'm bored waiting for torrents to download.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvirljx6ob4]

Entry #458

I'm currently gymless. Tomorrow, I'll go check out the Swim and Racquet Club. I cringe from the title, but I'm certain that they have decent weights. I've been keeping myself occupied with running, waiting for my wrists to become strong enough for bag work.

Entry #457

Bag-work caused my wrists to ache yesterday. I'll have to continue my break from it. Their condition is most definitely improving, however. I plan on doing primarily Olympic lifts in lieu of orthodox pushes until they're more capable.

Today, I did another double run to the high school and back. At night, I returned there with the intention of jump-roping on the track, but the gates were locked. Count that as a second running session. All of this cardio is strengthening my back. It took me until now to notice the pain was gone. I've also been having issues with my right rotator cuff for the past couple of weeks, but it always feels better after a run.

Also, I found out today that the closing gym is being replaced by...a gym. Los Gatos city council is widely renowned for its tactical brilliance, after all.

Entry #456

I was doing 185 for 8 reps of close-grip bench when both of my wrists started aching. I reracked and ran home. This is more serious than I thought. Curse my deadly strength.

Entry #455

Notes for overview~

I found this to be peculiar: "Never attempt to use a left cross (if
there is such a thing)
as a counter when slipping a straight right. Trying that, you may get
your brains knocked out. You wouldn't have slipping room between your
left shoulder and your chin."

Why counter with any cross at all? Why not a strong jab with the left? A cross has to travel extra distance, so why would the right be adequate to counter a straight that has less to go through?

On with reading.

"The right cross is a terrific blow
because (1) it is entirely
unexpected, and (2) it crashes into your opponent's jaw as he is coming
in. The punch packs the fast-moving weight of both bodies.

The straighter you keep the cross, the
more explosive it will
be. Many fighters make the mistake of hooking the cross. Many also err
in delaying the counter until after their opponent's jab has slipped
over the shoulder.

Keep the
cross straight, and shoot
it in the same split-second your opponent starts his jab. To do that
requires enough practice to give you nearly perfect timing.

I stated earlier that a well-rounded
fighter is always in
position to punch-that you do not have to get set to punch. That's
true. But in using the cross, you must get set mentally, at least. You
must anticipate your opponent's jab. That is, you must watch him and
time him until you're certain he's ready to jab again.

THE RIGHT CROSS IS USED ONLY AS A
HEAD-COUNTER AND ONLY
AGAINST A LEFT JAB.

Never attempt to use a left cross (if
there is such a thing)
as a counter when slipping a straight right. Trying that, you may get
your brains knocked out. You wouldn't have slipping room between your
left shoulder and your chin.

Slipping straight rights, you use
movements similar to those
employed in sliding under straight lefts. Counter with corkscrews to
the body, but never attempt a left cross. You can slip inside or
outside on straight rights.

However, remember this: In slipping
either a straight right or
a straight left, you'll be safer if you slip the punch over your left
shoulder. The left shoulder-slip moves your head into a sort of "safety
zone," where it would be difficult for your opponent to hit you with
either fist. In other words, it's more dangerous to use your right
shoulder for slipping either inside a left jab or outside a straight
right, than it is to use the left shoulder for slipping either outside
a left jab or inside a straight right.

When a left jab goes over your right
shoulder, your head may
be in position to be nailed by a following right upper-cut
or right shovel hook. And when you try to slip a straight right over
your right shoulder, there's always the risk that you may roll solidly
into the punch."

Entry #454

My wrist is nearly healed, but not enough to warrant lifting today.

Entry #453

I did another double session, to the high school and back. It was much more difficult during the day, with the heat and the humidity in full swing. Still, I persevered.

The same could not be said for powerlifting. My aim was to bench 295 lbs. for three. I had to stop at 265, when I noticed my right arm shooting up much faster than my left; my wrist couldn't take the pressure. I reracked for the day and, luckily, it felt better on the way out. I just need a few more days for it.

From there, I ran all the way home, able to breathe through my nose the whole way. My ankles and knees were fine. It was taxing on my cardio, but when I got home, I immediately did rounds on the standing bag without rest. Finally, I went for a swim after that. I felt like fainting by the end.

I'd been watching boxing videos the prior night, like I do every night before I go to sleep, and during all of the running, I kept remembering Bundini Brown yelling to Ali during the first Liston fight, when everyone was booing him, "THEY CAN'T BRING YOU DOWN, CHAMP! FLOAT LIKE A BUTTERFLY, STING LIKE A BEE!"

Entry #452

I'm in the process of renewing my driving legalities so that I can go to the boxing gym. It'll be later than I expected, but if the outcome is the same, it's no burden. On the contrary, I can finish up my conditioning with the extra time so that I can whup everyone faster and be out in time for dinner.

Speaking of conditioning, I've been running every other day to the high school and back. Last week, I was out of breath with one go of that. Tonight, I easily ran two, with a sprint in for the final span.

I'm also contemplating about training in Muay Thai and BJJ at AKA alongside boxing. There's a gym right across the street from there, so that would be of use in lieu of a weight room. I'm applying for a job as an English tutor for high school students, so my full schedule will be flexible.

Entry #451

Feh. That bag pole killed my wrists. They were in pain all day today. It's my fault for palming my hooks, more than anything. I'll take a break from bag work in the next two off-days and focus on shadowboxing and cardio. They should be prime for the next lifting day.

ME lower-body was indentical to last week, but with two more sets of box squats and a full five sets of 135 lb. good mornings. I also did the squats sans shoes.