how to brutalize yourself

Wednesday I technically did a double, if weightlifting at lunchtime followed by an full surfing session in the late afternoon counts as a double. Leaving me with a brutal, full body fatigue by days end.

Weightlifting

Warm-Up:
5 rounds x 5 burpees @ 90 sec

Chin-Ups and Dips:
Chin-Ups 3 x max reps @ 90 sec (3, 3, 2)
Ring Dips 3 x max reps @ 90 sec (3, 2 & -3, 0 & -5)
Damn, my Chin-Ups and Dips SUCK. Suck suck suck. This time last week I found myself able to manage a set of 5 on chin-ups. That was NOT happening today. I’m used to the fluctuation up and down in my capacities with these movements, but GOD I am frustrated when I get less volume in one session than another. I’m sure it can’t have anything to do with surfing for two hours yesterday, right? LOL.

Main Strength: Squat
5 x 45
5 x 155
Then, @ 5 min intervals: 3 x 205, 3 x 225, 2 x 220 & f on 3, 3 x 210, 3 x 210.

Comment: got the number I wanted, 3 x 225, but man what an ugly 3rd rep. Disappointing performance overall. “I hate squats,” is all I can think, even as I fume and scheme about wanting to get better at them. I sensed today that if I didn’t attempt my heaviest set earlier than the others, I would fail. And indeed, after getting the 225, I wasn’t getting the 220. Anyway, I was kinda pleased to get them, except for the fact that these wimpy squats, so well below where I have been in the past 7 months, make me look and feel weak. Feeling weak in the squats makes me seriously consider Zach B’s recent offer to program my strength lifting for me. But it is also confronting me with my lack of faith in myself.

Press:
1 x 12 x 70 lbs
3 x 4 x 105 lbs
Presses, on the other hand, are going great. I like my method of adding reps and repeating the same workout three times a week. It makes me think I could do something like this with 225 lb HBBS. Lay down a better foundation and drill the movement until my body really really adapts? Anyway, not going to try that right away, but it’s on my mind.

Surfing

I didn’t condition today, but at about 4:15 pm, Ben W. and I set out to surf the ebbing mid-day high-low tide at Indian Beach. We spent about an hour, maybe more, in big surf. 7.5 foot NW swell, low winds, but junky surface. We went to the south end of the beach, paddling past maybe a dozen other surfers. I was often in position but had trouble setting up, and took a bunch of tumbles into the rough surf. I had several battles from inside to outside, and then got washed in to shore near submarine rock. We walked back up the beach, and I gave it one more go, surfing from outside on the north end. I did catch several night rights, and felt good about being there. I was surprisingly able to paddle well… surprising because of yesterday’s session and today’s workout.

This is how you brutalize yourself: lift weights and then surf in the same day, the day after a heavy session. And then keep going. Rest days are for when summer’s through, I guess.