Disconcerting

It is disconcerting when you google "swiss barbell" the search results are full of stuff about swiss balls instead.  And when you google "trap bar"... Yep you guessed it.  The list was all about bars.

It's a sad day for this fitness junkie wannabe.

My immune system sucks

I get eczema fairly frequently.  I get sick pretty easily.  And the good doctor prescribes me the same antibiotics for my various ailments.  He also said my immune system is pretty weak.  Hence the pretty frequent trips to see him.

I suspect he has no complaints.

But I'm getting sick of being so sickly.  So lately I've taken to doing two things:

1. Drinking a glass a day of apple+celery+carrot juice
2. Taking garlic oil supplements (smells disgusting, and you can practically taste the concentrated garlic.  But at least vampires will stay away).

Of course, there are many other ways of trying to boost the immune system.  But I'm just doing things that I know I can keep up.  So far, I've been on this new regime for a week now.  And perhaps it's just a psychological factor, but I have observed a noticeable reduction in my eczema without me having to resort to taking antihistamines.

So maybe there's some hope.

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.

Leg Work Alternatives

Lately I've been worrying that my quads are shrinking, and shrinking fast. That creaking knee has improved somewhat in a sense that it doesn't give me anymore sudden pain.  But it is still creaking nonetheless.

Confession:  I am still avoiding squats.

I tell myself that I am not gonna compete in powerlifting.  When once I used to do only strict powerlifting stuff, I now know that overall balance is important: I want strength, speed, and mobility.

So, if I can achieve those and still be able to avoid squatting, more power to me.  But like I said, my quads are shrinking, and shrinking fast.  Enter Ben Bruno.  This guy is a genius when it comes to alternative leg work i.e. knee-friendly stuff.  You can read his articles over at T-Nation.

But over here I've compiled my favourite leg work stuff Ben Bruno style:

Building Quads - "Squat Free"







For you Glutes and Hammies