Rope Training

Roy surprised me today! Actually I think he surprised himself too. The big, long rope is always running down the center of the gym, I never really paid much attention to it, I figured we would get around to it when we did.

He changed the shoulder workout, we started with standing behind the neck barbell press, I warmed up then on to 65 pounds then right to 75 pounds and that's where we stayed, 8 reps, 5 sets.

Then seated dumbbell press at 35 pounds, 7 reps, I think we did 5 sets, maybe 6?

Then he asked about the rope, "did we use the rope recently?" "Um, no, I have never used the rope, or any rope for that matter."

A look came over his face..."never...used....the rope?"

"No" I explained I always wanted to use the sled, the chains, the ropes, all the fun stuff. I got to use the prowler with SC, but he never let me use chains, not quite sure why...

I told him that I have been having so much fun with everything else we have been doing, it slipped my mind. The smile on his face seemed to get a little smirky at that point. 

He looped the 40 foot, 2 inch diameter rope through the sled (that was already weighted with a  few 45 pound plates) and told me to grab one end and bring it together with the other, and hold one end in each hand like this:

I was supposed to do one minute on full blast and one minute rest, seems like nothing...well have you ever "done the rope?" ha ha, I bet not!

So he stood on the sled, stopwatch in hand and says "go" and I am supposed to undulate alternating arms like the fellow in the picture above. Big, strong movements, hmmm, it's  not working that well.

Then I am to switch to both arms together up, then down, using my legs and  my entire body to create giant waves of undulating rope.

My breathing is very labored, I am sweating, huffing and puffing, it's not over yet. Below is one of the Kardashian girls training with ropes. I suspect she does this about as often as she takes out the trash...in other words it was for the camera only.  If she did it regularly she wouldn't have such a well endowed rear end. 

Next I am supposed to swing one rope over the other and smack the ground, then swing it back over, and keep alternating, almost like "double dutch " jump rope, but it's slow going, let me tell you.

4 frigging sets....maybe it was 5???? I think the last time I was breathing this hard was my first kickboxing conditioning class!

At the fourth set Roy started laughing and said "oops, stop- that was 1 minute 20 seconds"...

WHAT???!! What the hell is the stopwatch for then??? 20 seconds extra is a lot with the ropes, let me tell you!

But I loved it, 

LOVED

EVERY 

MINUTE!

After I got home and ate, David and I had to go downtown to get a cheese slicer (long story you really don't want the details on), and we decided to go by the new cheese shop in downtown Los Gatos. We see Nick coming out, the owner and chef of Nick's on Main, one of my favorite restaurants. We stop to talk, he asks if I am competing (he knows we never come to the restaurant when I am on a diet) and I explain that I am in the "get big" stage, no diet, so we should see him soon. 

He looks me up and down and says "still training? You just finished now huh?" "Yes" I said and smiled. "Shoulder day, we used the ropes."

He could tell, my arms were pumped and full. I could feel the swelling starting....

Next Friday will not come soon enough!

Friday's Shoulders

Roy changed the training, he said we will be doing something similar to this for the next couple months. He wants to see how I respond to it. Shouldn't take too long to find out, my body adapts and responds quite quickly. 


Friday- How many times have I told you I love Fridays? I get to do everything I love! I hit the gym when they open at 5:00 am and I walk on the stairmill for 20 minutes, actually I was kind of rocking out because I was listening to some new music and closed my eyes and zoned out, when I opened my eyes I found people staring at me laughing. I get into it sometimes, it's actually the only way to make it through the cardio!


Then abs, I practice my Dragon Flags and hanging leg lifts. Then stretching and just a little boxing, not too much since it is shoulder day with Roy.


Work lasts all of 4 hours...ha ha off at 11:30 and then I drive to Roys.


We stretch and start with barbell shoulder presses. He goes pretty heavy, that's the new program for a while. Low reps, heavy weights, several sets.


The back of the bench is all the way upright. I start with maybe 80 pounds, he loads on more and it is too much but I do the reps. I am only aiming for 6 reps so the weight will be heavy, all the way down to my chest, slowly then power up, try not to rest at the top, just keep going.


I think we find a good weight at 90 pounds, it's hard but doable. I do 6 sets, that's quite a bit. You have to think about the total volume. So what if you normally do 3 sets of 10? That's 30 reps right? I did 6 sets of 6, that's 36 reps- more than you and most likely heavier weights. And, we all know:

Heavy weights = big muscles

The rest periods are of course longer. So we can't do a lot of other things. We move into the second exercise I will do, dumbbell shoulder press.

Again the back of the bench is straight up, so I will lift heavier weights. I think I start with 25 and quickly move to 40 pound dumbbells, again, 6 reps. 6 sets of 6.

That's it!

No boxing :( we are out of time. Time is not always my friend, in fact, it is probably the one thing I complain most in the world (other than my son's cat, Thor). I never seem to have enough time to do everything I want to do.


It makes me think though, of my all time favorite band ever- the Rolling Stones. And, one of the best songs "Time is on my Side". While there is so much I want to do everyday, I need to remember, that time is on my side. It's there for me if I want to be free. I have all the time to do what I choose in life, and while I may not be able to fit it all in one day, I can do it another (and maybe the next Friday).


(Email readers will need to navigate directly to the blog to view the video of the very, very young Rolling Stones below).

As usual, I mix up my protein/carb drink (1 to 4 ratio) and drink it with BCAA's and hop into the car- it's off to Whole Foods for grocery shopping then to the eye doctor to have a silicone Punctual Plug inserted into the tear duct of my left eye. Hmmm, I wonder, do I take off my make up first? Nah! Be daring! Plus, I still want to look good when I walk in the office! I will shop, eat and then go to the Doctor.

Friday...did I tell you I love Fridays?