Interval Session Six!

This was the end of week two of the Couch-to-5k training. Wow. I can easily tell the difference in the lung capacity after having been off of the coffin nails for nearly a week. I noticed virtually no significant shortness of breath where as a week or two ago I would have been gasping half way through & ready to zuke.

Today I found myself focusing almost entirely on how my legs were feeling... & ending the running portions as a surprised. I'd be focused on how my shins or calves felt when the cadence chime sounded. The shins are still an issue, even after adding additional warm up & stretching. Since this is a chronic issue, I suspect that the condition will take some time to dissipate.

I can still feel the tightening… & what I deduce is swelling. Of course, I could simply be hypersensitive to the soreness and imagine swelling where there is none. Still, the stretching did help somewhat. The soreness didn’t feel as acute as what I previously experienced.

At this moment, I’m realizing that I cannot reliably count on the accuracy of weighing myself. I’m beginning to gain muscle mass in my legs, hips and lower back. All of the areas that were getting no work whatsoever for so long, are now being pounded three times per week for 30-minutes. So while I can readily tell that I’m burning fat (trousers that were snug a few weeks ago are hanging off of my frame) I am not able to look at the scale and see any point of index.

This also means that it’s likely that much of the 30-pounds I lost between January and May were the remainder of my muscle mass. Though I did lose some girth & dropped nearly two pant sizes, there was a lot of lean tissue loss as well. I can only think of one way to remedy that. I’m going to have to start lifting again.

So the next issue will be what type of strength training regimen I’m going to get onto. I’m thinking of starting back up with the 5x5 for now. If I can manage this three times per week, along with the running, I’ll be burning through an awful lot of calories every month. I’m just now certain how much rest I’m going to need. Of course, the training for running is only going to last another six or seven weeks. The weights will be extremely light right now.

Of course, part of me wants to jump right into the CrossFit training system. This is an example of what was posted for the WOD (Workout of the Day) for 06/13/09:

Walking lunge 100 ft.
21 Pull-ups
21 Sit-ups
Walking lunge 100 ft.
18 Pull-ups
18 Sit-ups
Walking lunge 100 ft.
15 Pull-ups
15 Sit-ups
Walking lunge 100 ft.
12 Pull-ups
12 Sit-ups
Walking lunge 100 ft.
9 Pull-ups
9 Sit-ups
Walking Lunge 100 ft.
6 Pull-ups
6 Sit-ups

Again, the CrossFit program has you doing a different workout every day. The frequency of the running would eventually drop... considerably so. The type of running would change. I'd be including the more complicated Fartlek sprinting intervals as well as hill running and such.

This type of training is very different from what I am accustomed to. It's also probably what I actually need to be doing right now. Standard strength training is focused on muscle and strength building but the emphasized goal is different. This is more of an all-around regimen. If the CrossFit trainees that I have seen are training this way, then they're getting excellent results. The overall fitness and dexterity that I see in example CrossFit trainees is not only impressive, but is also more practical than what the average strength trainee is able to accomplish with standard exercises.

They seem to push a focus on the lifts that I already know and enjoy; deadlifts, squats, cleans, etc. The bodyweight exercises augment these and fill in the routines. I don't believe that I'll have a significant problem filling in my own daily routines between what I already know how to do and what they're prescribing. Some of the exercises such as the pull-ups will only be possible once I drop more weight, but again, I can replace those with dips, bent-over rows or something else. Short and intense along with constantly changing the routines is the core of CrossFit.

I'm not prepared to commit to a gym membership for this, even though it has been suggested. I simply cannot afford it at this point and still meet my financial goals for the executive protection training. That is my primary focus and though I honestly need the physical training in order to be ready, the gym membership would also prevent me from attending self-defense training.

On that topic, I still have no idea where I'm going to be attending. I'm still hopeful that Krav Maga of Seattle will post their updated schedule in time for me to enroll. Their spring course ended Thursday, June 11th. I've sent an e-mail request but have not received any reply. My other option is American Combato with Prof. Bradley J. Steiner. I'm beginning to lean further that direction if only because I can attend more often during the week.

As I've said before, I really would like to study Krav Maga and see inside the system. However, this has become a running joke of sorts. I've been trying for so long to get enrolled and something always manages to come up. If their web site calendar is not updated, I may simply have to show up on a Wednesday evening intent on training. I'll pack my gear in the car and roll the dice. The priority is going to have to be getting into training. I was hoping for the added benefits that the Krav Maga training might give me. If I cannot get enrolled, that becomes irrelevant. Perhaps I need to treat my entry into Krav Maga training like I'm trying to do everything else; just jumping into it and refusing to take "no" for an answer.