Training Updates

Wow, it's been a while since I've last done an entry.  To be honest there is not much to write about.  Training has been pretty smooth now that I don't overthink things and just get on with the programme.

But, as I have mentioned before, I am laying of squatting due to that nagging knee pain.  I've laid of squatting for more than 2 months now and to be honest, I don't really miss it.  I miss what it does to my butt and quads, that's for sure.  But the squatting itself?  Nope.

I've been trying to build my quads and glutes up over the past three weeks and mainly substituting squats with landmine reverse lunges.  They're very knee-friendly as the movement assures that your knee is perpendicular to the floor thus reducing joint stress; but by no means are they a sissy exercise.

Trust me.  Your quads and glutes will BURN!

In my effort to add some meat to my legs I've incorporated landmine reverse lunges in both my lower body max effort days (where you go heavy) as well as lower body high rep days (which concentrates more on 'accessory' exercises and conditioning).  For the high rep days the weight I use is reduced but the reps increase (which fits the whole theme of high rep day).

So far I'm liking what I feel.  I can't see the result as yet, but hopefully within another 1.5 months of undisrupted training I'd be able to struggle into my jeans again.

DIY Weekend: Hurdles

Jumps are something I absolutely suck at.  In school I avoided anything jump-related.  But now that I know that jumps are absolutely essential in developing good mobility and athleticism, I reluctantly practice it.

Part of the training programme I am following right now requires for hurdle jumps.  I don't have hurdles, so I jumped over the bench instead.  But even that was too easy for me.  So I scoured the internet on how to improvise on hurdle jumps.

I came across a gem of resources on how to make your own hurdles out of PVC pipe.  It set me off for less than RM10 and I still have some extra stuff that I could use for later on.  The best part is one piece of hurdle can be assembled in 2 minutes.  And that is by a DIY-challenged clutz like me.

First up, get yourself some 0.5" PVC pipes.  My measurements were as below:

1. 1 piece measuring 3 feet 
2. 2 pieces measuring 50cm each
3. 4 pieces measuring 6" each (these will be used as the base)
4. 4 pieces of T-connectors

The finished product looks like the pic above.  The height of this hurdle is a conservative 56cm.  I used T-connectors instead of elbows because I can easily add to the height of the hurdle as my jumps improve.  And I hope it improves fast.