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TODAY’S TRAINING INSPIRATION:
MARSHALL ULRICH

For inspiration today, we turn to one of the most accomplished ultra-endurance athletes in history.

One of the most grueling tests of willpower and endurance available to humans is undertaking a race known as the Badwater Ultramarathon. This particular race consists of 135 miles of sweltering elevation gain and elevation loss, a stretch of continuous running that would break almost every human on the planet.

In addition to having held the course record for time of completion, Ulrich is also the only person to ever successfully undertake the “Badwater Quad” – an endeavor that consists of running the full length of the Badwater course (135 miles), then back to the beginning, and then there and back again. The effective result is over 500 miles of continuous running (the length of more than 22 marathons), a distance Ulrich covered in 10 days.

As of 2008, Marshall Ulrich had officially completed the Badwater Ultramarathon a total of 15 times (including 4 victories). His most recent finish, in 2008, was at the age of 57. With his dogged determination, he has established himself as not only a legend of the ultra-endurance field, along with the likes of Dean Karnazes and David Goggins – but also as one of the pioneers of ultramarathons.

Also an avid mountain climber, Ulrich has scaled his way to the tallest peak on each of the seven continents.

In short, if there is a physical challenge or test of will that you can think of, Marshall Ulrich has probably already thought of it and done it.

REBUILDING THE MACHINE…

Okay, on to our more modest exploits. Triceps day. I’ve definitely been toeing the overtraining line with the fairly frequent and heavy two-a-days as of late. Just a plain old triceps day.

TODAY: TRICEPS
…5 COUNT UP, 5 COUNT DOWN

SKULL CRUSHERS (HAMMER GRIP) (5 sets)
45 x 10
65 x 7
65 x 6
65 x 5
85 x 4

KNEELING ROPE-SPREAD CABLE TRICEP PRESSDOWNS (3 sets)
50 x 5
40 x 6
50 x 4

UNDERHAND-GRIP CABLE TRICEP PRESSDOWNS followed by
OVER-HAND GRIP PRESSDOWNS AFTER FAILURE (4 sets)
UH 50 x 5 / OH 50 x 4
UH 30 x 8 / OH 30 x 8
UH 40 x 5 / OH 40 x 4
UH 50 x 4 / OH 50 x 2

SEATED MACHINE TRICEP EXTENSION (3 sets)
40 x 6
40 x 6
50 x 4 / 30 x 5

BACK EXTENSIONS (5 sets)
Torso x 10
Torso+10 x 10
Torso+10 x 9
Torso+25 x 6
Torso+25 x 7 / Torso x 2

TRAINING NOTES

I found myself able to stand on my injured foot a lot better today, so it was barely a factor in any standing exercises. The Wolverine healing powers have kicked in again.

Total Sets (Triceps): 15

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TODAY’S TRAINING INSPIRATION:
ARRHICHION

Today’s inspiration is a man who is, quite simply, the toughest mother f**ker that ever lived. Sports has been filled with many a legitimate tough guy, from Bob Baun scoring the Stanley Cup winning goal on a broken leg, to the supposed “Baddest Man on the Planet” Mike Tyson, to in-the-ring warrior Evander Holyfield. And make no mistake, these were tough men. They would fight and play through pain…

But Arrhichion could kick the sh*t out of you when he was already dead.

Today’s mixed martial arts, and leagues such as the UFC, are descended from the sport of pankration at the Olympic Games in Ancient Greece. In these matches, two men would battle to submission (or to death) with their bare hands.

By the end of the Olympics, one man would emerge as the champion. One such man was Arrhichion.

In the final match of the games, Arrhichion was caught in a chokehold and was literally on the verge of death from lack of oxygen. In the ultimate real-life Rocky-and-Mickey moment, Arrhichion’s trainer cheered him on, inspiring a last gasp effort from the fighter. Arrhichion applied an ankle lock on his opponent, who submitted from the pain, making Arrhichion the victor.

As the referee went to raise Arrhichion’s hand, it became clear that he had, in fact, died from the chokehold and had applied his own successful submission just moments before his own death.

If anybody ever needed a literal example of leaving nothing in the ring or on the field, you should look no further than this man. In today’s athletics, there is a great deal of trash talk, before during and after matches. The staredowns at boxing and MMA weigh-ins sometimes are more emotional and action-packed than the fights themselves. Fighters will release YouTube videos calling out and insulting upcoming or potential opponents…

But if there was ever a man who had earned the right to look his opponent in the face and say, “Man’s game, bitch!” – it would most certainly be Arrhichion.

REBUILDING THE MACHINE…

Okay, when I rolled my ankle yesterday and said it didn’t seem like much of a problem… Um, yeah. I am now basically walking around like I have a clubbed foot, so I am thankful that despite yesterday’s stupidity, I at least had the good sense not to push calves in the late workout. They were going to be due up today, but there’s no way that’s happening. So it’s biceps and I don’t think I can even do any standing curls, which does make it interesting because I have to get a little creative and mix up my exercises. It will basically be a lot of seated, preacher and incline-suspended curls.

TODAY: BICEPS
…5 COUNT UP, 5 COUNT DOWN

SEATED PREACHER STRAIGHT BARBELL CURLS (5 sets)
82 x 10
82 x 7
92 x 5
92 x 4
102 x 3 / 82 x 3

SEATED PREACHER DUMBBELL HAMMER CURLS (5 sets)
30 x 8
30 x 6
30 x 6
35 x 5
40 x 4

MACHINE PREACHER BICEP CURLS (3 sets)
70 x 4
70 x 4
80 x 3 / 50 x 2

INCLINE SUSPENDED-LEGS TWISTING DUMBBELL CURLS (3 sets)
20 x 8
20 x 7
20 x 6

TRAINING NOTES

Well, I succeeded in not involving my legs or ankles in anything. I was hopping around the gym like a pirate but I got through the workout and felt pretty good from the waist up. The reason for the odd weights on the barbell curl is the 32 pound bar.

Total Sets (Biceps): 16

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TODAY’S TRAINING INSPIRATION:
ALEX BURROWS

Today’s training inspiration, Alex Burrows, is pertinent because just the other day he scored an overtime goal in the final game of the first round Vancouver Canucks / St. Louis Blues playoff series to give the Canucks their first-ever four-game-sweep in franchise history. After 39 years of existence, it took a shot from a man who barely made the NHL to make the most dominant statement that can be made in an NHL playoff series.

Never even selected in an NHL draft, Burrows’ road the NHL was long and improbable. The NHL has its minor leagues, for example the AHL. However the NHL’s minor leagues have their own minor leagues, and a few short years ago, that was where Alex Burrows found himself: in the ECHL.

It is pretty much the received wisdom that if you ever set foot – one toe – in the ECHL, even for a post-injury conditioning stint, you are never setting foot – one toe – in the big show.

However, with a tireless work ethic game in and game out, Burrows played his way up to the AHL (it sounds funny to say it) and once he got to the minors, he wasn’t going back down to the “minors minors.” He became the best forward on the Manitoba Moose, the feeder team for the Canucks, and when a few injuries to the NHL team required a band-aid from the farm team, it was Burrows that was called upon…and he hasn’t looked back.

In fact, not since the days of former Chicago Blackhawks captain Dirk Graham has a player risen from an extended period in the second-tier minors (Graham played in the feeder league IHL of the 1980s) to a noteworthy career in the bigs.

Previously considered an unlikely candidate to even make the NHL squad at training camp, Burrows has gone on to enjoy a breakout season that has served as an inspiration to every career minor-leaguer toiling away with the Fresno Falcons, Pensacola Ice Pilots or Alaska Aces. Burrows finished 5th on the NHL team in scoring with 51 points (and 2nd with 28 goals), making him a more than legitimate offensive threat. By the end of the season, he had played his way onto the first line with the Sedin Twins. Oh yeah, and he kills every penalty for the team.

Perhaps most impressive is how Burrows has saved his best games for when they are most needed, much in the vein of another hard-working and much-admired Canucks leader, Trevor Linden.

His two-goal performance to give the Canucks a 3-2 overtime win and send the St. Louis Blues to the golf course for the summer was the prime example of a clutch performance during pressure-cooker hockey.

But not only has Burrows overcome the odds by simply making the NHL. In the summer before the season began, he lost his best friend and teammate, 21-year-old Canucks defenseman Luc Bourdon, in a motorcycle accident. With an entire team and city in mourning, none were more heartbroken than Burrows. Early in the season, the team had a pregame ceremony honoring the late and talented Bourdon. During the game that followed, Burrows had another two-goal performance, celebrating his first tally with Bourdon’s own trademarked hockey-stick-as-a-bow-and-arrow move, releasing an invisible arrow into the heavens.

After Alex Burrows scored in overtime to send his team to the second round of the playoffs the other day, he made sure Bourdon got another arrow.

REBUILDING THE MACHINE…

Well, I managed to roll my ankle while filming a few workout highlights for a project that is in the works. It didn’t swell up or anything so…I allowed myself to be talked into an unnecessary late (second) workout with a friend who needed some motivation in the gym. Anyway, the last thing I am going to do is deprive anyone of motivation, so I went to the gym, figuring I would do what I could.

The only problem? The only body part I could do without it being an offensive lack of rest was legs. It was a little soon, but they felt good. So I figured I would do what I could from the knees up and monitor the ankle along the way…

TODAY: LEGS
…5 COUNT UP, 5 COUNT DOWN

SEATED LEG PRESS (5 sets)
350 x 10
420 x 6
420 x 6
460 x 4
500 x 2 / 400 x 2

SEATED HAMSTRING CURLS (5 sets)
90 x 10
120 x 9
120 x 8
135 x 6
150 x 5 / 105 x 5

QUAD EXTENSIONS (5 sets)
105 x 10
135 x 8
135 x 8
150 x 7
180 x 7 / 150 x 2 / 120 x 2

TRAINING NOTES

Did not superset Quad Extensions and Hamstring Curls, as I sometimes do. But I worked in a few pretty good drop sets, considering that I was pretty tired and worn down to begin the workout.

I decided to stop after these three exercises, as I was fading, and save calves for tomorrow. I had kept them from getting involved in the leg press so there was no harm done, really. The ankle I had rolled hadn’t been bothering me during the workout so I didn’t feel like too much of an idiot for targeting legs… But I nonetheless strongly recommend against the rolled-ankle-leg-workout combo.

Total Sets (Legs): 15

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TODAY’S TRAINING INSPIRATION:
“KING” RICHARD BRODEUR

Today’s inspiration is a man who, while athletic and well-conditioned, was never noted for his physique by any stretch of the imagination. It was a rare enough achievement for man to make it to the NHL at the height of 5′7″, and rarer still when reporters seemed to be continually attaching adjectives like “soft” or “pudgy” to his name.

So today’s inspiration is not so much about fitness or bodybuilding, but about having a winning mentality, playing your best when it really counts and seizing the opportunities life gives you on the rare occasions that they become available.

In 1981, Richard Brodeur was known around the NHL as a competent goaltender, playing for a perpetually bottom-dwelling team in the Vancouver Canucks. He had enjoyed relatively little fanfare in his NHL career to date, but by the spring of 1982…he had become (and would always remain) King Richard Brodeur.

Playing in a division where Brodeur had to constantly some of the best offensive teams in the NHL at the time, including the legendary Wayne Gretzky-led Edmonton Oilers, the Vancouver Canucks (by contrast) scored the fourth-least goals in the 21-team league. So when the playoffs started against the Calgary Flames, expectations were not high.

But something happened. The small goalie in the Vancouver Canucks caught fire, and the Calgary Flames were swept in the best-of-five series. And in the next round, the Canucks disposed of the Los Angeles Kings, who were led by Hall-of-Famer and eventual 2nd-all-time career scorer Marcel Dionne. The reward for the team of journeymen and hard-working grinders? A matchup with Hall of Famer Denis Savard’s Chicago Blackhawks. Once again, Brodeur stood infinitely taller in the Vancouver nets than you would think his 5′7″ frame would permit. The Canucks not only disposed of the Blackhawks, but did so in a series that was arguably the subject of biased refereeing, so much so that Vancouver coach Roger Nielsen tied a white towel to a hockey stick and waved it in mock surrender. Such was the birth of “towel power” and a sporting tradition that has swept throughout arenas in North America.

On the back of this one man, a team of essential no-names had made its way to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in the club’s history. Without a single present or future Hall-of-Famer on the team, the 1982 Vancouver Canucks were now facing off against quite possibly the greatest and most feared team in the history of hockey. The 1982 New York Islanders, at the height of their dynasty, featured no less than five players who would be inducted into the Hall of Fame upon their retirement.

On the eve of his fight with Apollo Creed in the film Rocky, Rocky Balboa says to his eventual wife: I can’t beat Creed… All I want to do is go the distance. Cause if that bell rings and I’m still standing, I’ll know I wasn’t just another bum from the neighborhood.

Against the 1982 Islanders, with Mike Bossy, Bryan Trottier, Denis Potvin, Clark Gillies and – in the other net – Hall of Fame goaltender Billy Smith, the Canucks were grievously overmatched in every area…except in net. The Canucks lost the series, but not before winning the hearts of a city and hockey fans everywhere, and not before making a legend out of a man who had toiled in NHL obscurity but risen his game to its highest level when it mattered the most. Brodeur had gone the distance and he was not just another bum from the Vancouver Canucks. None of these Vancouver Canucks were bums and none of them ever would be again.

So the lesson to anyone in the fitness arena, whether pushing for the last rep on a personal-best set of weights, driving for the finish line in a marathon when the pack leader is still within reach, or bringing your best on-stage posing performance in a bodybuilding or fitness pre-judging… Watch for your moment and sieze it. You may become a king…

REBUILDING THE MACHINE…

Shoulders day. I am going to work these things until they are shoulders royalty.

TODAY: SHOULDERS
…5 COUNT UP, 5 COUNT DOWN

ARNOLD DUMBBELL PRESS (5 sets)
30 x 8
30 x 8
40 x 6
40 x 6
50 x 4 / 40 x 2 / 30 x 2 / 20 x 2

SHOULDER PRESS (MACHINE) (per arm) (5 sets)
50 x 8
60 x 6
60 x 6
70 x 4
80 x 4 / 60 x 1

LATERAL DUMBBELL RAISE (4 sets)
20 x 8
20 x 6
20 x 6
20 x 4

FORWARD DUMBBELL RAISE (4 sets)
15 x 7
15 x 6
15 x 7
20 x 3 / 15 x 3

TRAINING NOTES

Supersetted Forward and Lateral Dumbbell Raise. Today felt like a solid workout but not necessarily one for the ages. I’m still getting used to the sloooow tempo on the forward and lateral dumbbell raises.

Total Sets (Shoulders): 18

ASSOCIATED LINK OF THE DAY

In his years after hockey, among many other things, Richard Brodeur has gone on to become an artist. He has a website featuring his oil and canvas works.

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TODAY’S TRAINING INSPIRATION:
DAVE DRAPER

For today’s inspiration, we have one of the most underrated and under-recognized bodybuilders of the classic era of the sport, none other than Dave Draper who (by the way) is another one of these hard-driving athletes who simply refuses to let his body age like the rest of the mortals out there.

At the spring chicken age of 67, Dave is still hitting the gym hard and much like fellow bodybuilding legend Frank Zane, sporting the physique of a man decades younger than the age his driver’s license would have you believe.

Any perusal of the classic images from bodybuilding’s golden age in the 1970s will show Draper in training with the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Franco Columbu and other bodybuilding legends that continue to inspire today’s generation of competitors.

Draper burst onto the scene winning the Mr. New Jersey title at the age of 21, back in 1962. He followed this up with strong finishes in larger competitions, winning the Mr. Universe title in both 1965 and 1966, and earning a 4th place finish in the 1967 Mr. Olympia contest.

In the years since, in addition to staying active physically, Draper has authored Brother Iron, Sister Steel, one of the definitive texts on bodybuilding to this day.

He continues to provide advice and updates at his website and blog, making him one of the most accessible among the legends of bodybuilding.

REBUILDING THE MACHINE…

Today it’s back to tackling one of the areas I’ve let lag a little behind recently… It’s back day.

TODAY: BACK and FOREARMS
…5 COUNT UP, 5 COUNT DOWN

WIDE GRIP LAT PULLDOWN (5 sets)
135 x 8
135 x 7
150 x 5
150 x 6
180 x 4 / 135 x 2

CLOSE GRIP LAT PULLDOWN (MACHINE) (5 sets)
150 x 8
150 x 7
170 x 6
170 x 6
200 x 6

BENT-OVER DUMBBELL ROWS (3 sets)
35 x 7
35 x 6
40 x 6

VERTICAL GRIP BACK FLYES (PEC DECK) (3 sets)
100 x 6
85 x 7
115 x 5 / 85 x 2

HORIZONTAL GRIP BACK / REAR DELT FLYES (PEC DECK) (3 sets)
85 x 8
100 x 6
115 x 5 / 85 x 1 / 55 x 4

BACK EXTENSION (3 sets)
Torso x 10
Torso x 9
Torso x 8

UNDERHAND GRIP FOREARM DUMBBELL CURLS (per hand) (5 sets)
12 x 10
20 x 10
20 x 10
20 x 10
20 x 10

OVERHAND GRIP FOREARM DUMBBELL CURLS (per hand) (3 sets)
12 x 10
12 x 8
12 x 8

TRAINING NOTES

Did not superset Vertical and Horizontal Grip Back Flyes on the Pec Deck.

Again, five tempo up and five tempo down on everything, including Back Extensions.

Total Sets (Back): 22

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TODAY’S TRAINING INSPIRATION:
SKIP HALL

The inspiration for the second half of today’s program – and I am going to need some inspiration to get through round two – is one of these fellows who just seemed not to realize that humans are supposed to get old…

At the age of 57, Skip Hall became the oldest fighter ever to make his professional mixed martial arts debut. At 5′9″ and a solid 220 pounds (he was a professional bodybuilder in his younger years) he was one of the shorter heavyweights but this did not stop him from taking on the likes of UFC Hall of Famer Dan Severn, among others in his nine-fight career.

Last year, at the age of 63, Hall announced his retirement from MMA competition, but not without also setting the record for oldest fighter to ever compete professionally in the sport. I think it’s pretty safe to say that Skip Hall could kick your grandpa’s ass. Probably your father’s as well. And probably yours too.

Oh, and all of this followed a tour of duty in the Vietnam War, more than thirty years before he decided to take up professional MMA.

REBUILDING THE MACHINE…

Well, after some physical rest, I was feeling like I was good for a two-a-day today. It may even justify another day off…in the very near future if not tomorrow. Anyway, I needed a break from life and the gym seemed better than the TV.

TODAY: LEGS…5 COUNT UP, 5 COUNT DOWN

SEATED LEG PRESS (5 sets)
350 x 10
420 x 8
440 x 6
440 x 5
500 x 3 / 400 x 1

SEATED CALF RAISE (5 sets)
135 x 10
180 x 9
180 x 9
180 x 9
180 x 8

QUAD EXTENSIONS (3 sets)
150 x 10
180 x 7
180 x 6

SEATED HAMSTRING CURL (3 sets)
90 x 10
105 x 10
105 x 8

SEATED STRAIGHT-LEG CALF PRESS (3 sets)
170 x 9
200 x 8
200 x 9

TRAINING NOTES

Supersetted Hamstring Curl and Quad Extensions.

Again, five tempo up and five tempo down on everything. Held the contraction for five on both calf exercises.

Total Sets (Legs): 19

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TODAY’S TRAINING INSPIRATION:
SANDRA YAWORSKI

Well, I had it all worked out as far as training inspiration went for the next day or two, and then I learned that yesterday was the international Vancouver Sun Run, one of the premier 10K events in the world and a huge event in terms of raising money for charity. And these sorts of things always have a way of inspiring me. As it turned out, tens of thousands of people showed up to compete, or just to make it to the finish, depending on their fitness level.

So I decided to look into the top finishers a little bit and see if they were inspiring individuals…and they are. But then I came across the journal entry of a woman who, though very fast and competitive, is not really a threat to win the event, is a guaranteed upper-percentiles finisher and one of the most inspiring participants in yesterday’s festivities.

Our inspiration today is Sandra Yaworski, a woman who managed to complete the 10K run in 40:00…at the age of 47. Just as impressive, she ran it in 38:45 at the age of 45, and as you may recall if you read any of my training entries from by brief foray into medium-long distance running, this makes her faster than yours truly.

While her good attitude toward floating personal bests as age progresses is an inspiring and well-adjusted philosophy in itself, what may be the most inspiring about this woman’s history on the pavement is that she took up running as a proactive way to deal with stress when she was diagnosed with cancer in her 30s. Her site lists a number of her impressive finishes, times and athletic achievements, but it is difficult to be anything but impressed with the attitude and approach of someone who takes a cancer diagnosis and uses it as a catalyst to be a paragon of good health almost 20 years later.

So consider me inspired by the thousands upon thousands who partook in the fundraising athletic activities yesterday, the first place finishers, the “last place” finishers for whom finishing itself was a monumental achievement and a personal battle of will…and of course, today’s above-named training inspiration.

REBUILDING THE MACHINE…

Pretty simple chest day. The weights may be a little embarrassing because I’m spending so bloody long on each painful rep.

TODAY: CHEST…5 COUNT UP, 5 COUNT DOWN

FLAT BENCH PRESS (5 sets)
115 x 10
155 x 6
155 x 5
155 x 4
155 x 3 / 135 x 2

FLAT DUMBBELL FLYES (5 sets)
25 x 10
30 x 10
35 x 6
35 x 6
40 x 5

LYING OVERHEAD DUMBBELL RAISE (3 sets)
25 x 10
30 x 10
35 x 8

INCLINE DUMBBELL PRESS (3 sets)
30 x 7
30 x 7
40 x 5

PEC DECK FLYES (3 sets)
115 x 7
130 x 5
130 x 5

TRAINING NOTES

Supersetted Flat DB Flyes and Overhead Raise as usual.

Again, five tempo up and five tempo down on everything.

I have to say, I felt a little silly because it’s been a long time since I lifted weights this light. But it’s what the tempo called for if I was going to get any reps in, and I also have to admit that my five count was really slow…more like an eight count to some of the fast-counters in the gym. In the end, despite controlled reps and good form, I felt like I’d worked out my arms more than my chest after some of the exercises, but I’m not too concerned, since my main focus right now is just holding ground in my strong areas and bringing the weak ones back up to where they belong.

Total Sets (Chest): 19

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TODAY’S TRAINING INSPIRATION:
MADONNA

For training inspiration today, we’re turning to the first (and possibly only) singer / songwriter to make the list. By many accounts, she’s not the most pleasant person to be around. By a few accounts, she’s just a downright bitch. And, of course, by many others, she is a terrific person.

While people around the world may disagree on how personable they find Madonna, anybody who disagrees with the fact that this is one incredibly fit fifty-something woman…just isn’t looking.

Yes, Madonna is a mother, is turning 51 in a couple months, and is still able to handle a world tour with daily shows that would leave most competitors at a Ms. Fitness pageant gasping and sweating…and possibly puking.

The fact that this woman is able to continue her demanding dance routines, which often border on outright fitness tests, is a testament to the focus and training that characterize her approach to her profession and the health of her body.

So yes, the paparazzi are quick to snap a picture if they see a vein or two on the top of her hands, or any of the other more subtle signs of aging that inevitably strike us all.

But notwithstanding a few superficial hints of a more grandmotherly age than she would like to be associated with, she still sports the physique of a woman in her 30s and almost certainly the heart and lungs of a woman in her 20s.

Let he whose 50-year-old wife looks better throw the first stone.

REBUILDING THE MACHINE…

Biceps and forearms today, 5 tempo count on effort, 5 tempo count on return to the start. It’s gonna hurt…

TODAY: BICEPS and FOREARMS

BARBELL BICEP CURL (5 sets)
95 x 8
95 x 5
85 x 5
85 x 4
85 x 4

PREACHER DUMBBELL HAMMER CURL (5 sets)
25 x 8
20 x 10
20 x 10
20 x 10
25 x 8

INCLINE LEGS-SUSPENDED TWISTING DUMBBELL CURL (3 sets)
15 x 10
20 x 10
25 x 6

UNDERHAND GRIP FOREARM BARBELL CURLS (5 sets)
45 x 10
45 x 10
45 x 10
45 x 10
45 x 10

UNDERHAND GRIP FOREARM BARBELL CURLS (5 sets)
25 x 8
25 x 8
25 x 6
25 x 6
25 x 5

TRAINING NOTES

It’s been a while since I did long tempo for these body parts so I overestimated the amount of weight I could do at this slow pace of reps. So I didn’t get as many reps in as I would have liked on some sets and I actually found myself decreasing weight as the exercises went on in some cases. But it was still a pretty solid workout.

Supersetted Overhand and Underhand Forearm Curls.

Five-count tempo up and five-count tempo down on everything.

Total Sets (Biceps): 13
Total Sets (Forearms): 10

TODAY’S TRAINING INSPIRATION:
ASHIS ROY

Well, today is a day off. One of my rare rest days that I actually force myself to take. I take them about a quarter as often as I should, but anyway, if I use someone as my inspiration on a rest day – that doesn’t mean they inspire laziness. It means they are inspiring me to train smarter.

Ashis Roy, or more properly Dr. Ashis Roy is, in the vein of Ed Whitlock and Yoshihisa Hosaka, an elite marathoner of advanced years who is quite simply defying age and the supposedly inevitable breakdown of the human body.

He was 52 when he ran his first marathon. He is now 76, has run over 85 official marathons, and is gunning for his 100th before he turns 80.

Leaving aside for a moment the fact that this man’s life story includes stints as a Wing Commander in the Indian Air Force and a career as a cardiologist, one can’t help but be inspired by the physical challenges he has taken on in a stage of life where far too many people are letting the body wind down. Dr. Roy is the first Indian and first Asian to accomplish a variety of age-related marathon feats, and has finished first in his age category in numerous international marathons, including Cleveland, Cincinatti and Prague. He has run marathons in 21 different countries…and counting.

TODAY: DAY OFF!

I am going to do something I don’t know if Dr. Ashis Roy has ever done…rest and take it easy.

Well, not a complete and total rest day.

ABS
Crunches x 100
Crunches x 70
Crunches x 60
Straight Leg Raises x 80

TODAY’S TRAINING INSPIRATION:
RONNIE COLEMAN

For inspiration in the gym today, we look to none other than the record-setting eight-time Mr. Olympia, Ronnie Coleman. In addition to this all-time record streak (he owns the same number of titles as Lee Haney and one more than Arnold Schwarzenegger himself), Coleman also holds the record for most IFBB competition victories with 26.

Many enthusiasts blame Coleman for the rise of “mass monsters” in bodybuilding and the destruction of the “esthetic” physique. One look at Coleman in competition will undoubtedly show that he reached previously unseen levels of muscle mass. However, with Coleman’s victories and the pressure they placed on the competition, gone were the streamlined physiques of the Schwarzenegger or Frank Zane.

Recent years have seen the pendulum swing back toward the esthetic look, with Coleman (in his early 40s) losing the Mr. Olympia title for the first time a couple seasons ago. However, even if one does not subscribe to the “mass monster” philosophy of bodybuilding, one must still recognize and admire the dedication and focus required for Coleman to achieve the levels of mass and definition that characterized his reign over the bodybuilding world. Given the goals and physical ideal he set for himself, he undeniably achieved them.

Having graduated with a degree in accounting, Ronnie Coleman is also one of the many bodybuilders (such as Arnold, Zane, Bob Cicherillo and Franco Columbu) who have demonstrated that muscle growth does not go hand-in-hand with brain atrophy.

In Coleman’s training videos, he can be seen lifting, curling and pressing some virtually unfathomable weights, including 800 pound squats, 495 pound bench presses (x5) and 495 pound bent-over rows (x5). And the list goes on, but I am going to stop because it makes my workout look pretty feeble.

REBUILDING THE MACHINE…

Well, if there is a theme to the Discipline of Steel, it is rebuilding the legs. Also, to get the most out of today, I am doing tempo training. Very slow reps. Five count on effort, hold the finished position for five, then five count for return to the start. Every time. Let’s get down to business.

After a couple hours rest, I got motivated again and went back to do shoulders. This will permit me to make tomorrow a fully legitimate and unconditional rest day, something I could definitely use (and should really be doing more often). But hey man, it’s Ronnie Coleman day. Everybody wants to be a bodybuilder but ain’t nobody want to lift no heavy ass weight!

TODAY: LEGS and SHOULDERS… (all 5-count tempo)

SEATED CALF RAISE (5 sets)
135 x 10
180 x 10
180 x 10
205 x 10
230 x 6 / 205 x 2 / 180 x 4

SEATED LEG PRESS (5 sets)
350 x 10
420 x 8
420 x 9
460 x 7
500 x 5 / 450 x 2

STRAIGHT-LEG CALF PRESS (5 sets)
200 x 8
200 x 7
200 x 7
200 x 6
240 x 6 / 200 x 3

SEATED HAMSTRING CURLS (5 sets)
150 x 7
120 x 7
120 x 7
120 x 6
120 x 7

QUAD EXTENSIONS (5 sets)
150 x 7
120 x 8
120 x 7
120 x 7
150 x 8

ARNOLD PRESS (5 sets)
40 x 9
40 x 7
40 x 5
35 x 6
35 x 6

SHOULDER PRESS (MACHINE) (3 sets) (per arm)
60 x 5
60 x 6
60 x 6

DUMBBELL LATERAL RAISES (3 sets)
15 x 6
10 x 8
10 x 6

DUMBBELL FORWARD RAISES (3 sets)
15 x 4
10 x 5
10 x 5

VERTICAL GRIP BACK FLYES (PEC DECK) (3 sets)
130 x 5
100 x 5
100 x 5

HORIZONTAL GRIP BACK FLYES (PEC DECK) (3 sets)
100 x 6
100 x 5
100 x 5

TRAINING NOTES

Supersetted Quad Extensions and Hamstring Curls.
Supersetted Lateral and Forward Dumbbell Raises.
Supersetted Horizontal and Vertical Grip Back Flyes.

Again, everything was 5-count tempo training.

Total Sets (Legs): 25
Total Sets (Shoulders): 20

Today was serious. Definitely felt it everywhere. If I had been putting in this kind of focus all along, I wouldn’t have to be “rebuilding” anything.

The amount of weight has gone down a bit with the long tempo count, but that is to be expected and doesn’t concern me in the least. Naturally, a five count on full extension for lateral or forward raises is going to really affect the amount of weight you can do on those exercises. But damn, I was lifting puny ass weights for the fifteen counts and I’m sore like I was lateral raising some Firestone tires.

TODAY’S INSPIRATIONAL CLIP

Here is Ronnie Coleman in action on the leg press. I think my program is going okay so far, but let’s just say I won’t be pushing this much weight any time soon.