July 22, 2010 CC, Hike, Rugby 7s Practice

Today's workout

Warm-up - Joint mobility/Neural warm-up, balance and vision drills


CC

Horizontal Pulls 3x25 performed using dining room table

Close Squats 3x20

Finally noticeable improvement in the horizontal pulls. My grip and overall strength both felt a significantly stronger. Hopefully in a few more weeks I'll be able to progress to step 3 of this progression. My ankle flexibility and range of motion is also improving. I'm having a much easier time staying balanced in the bottom position of the squat, unsupported and without a counterweight. I'm really itching to get to level 6 in all four of the exercises so that I can add in the bridging and handstand work. Ultimately though, my strength is improving on this program, which is what matters.

Later this afternoon I met up with a friend and went for a 2 hour nature hike in the Oakland hills. One of the things that makes this area such a great place to live is that with just a 15 minute drive I have an amazing view of the bay, and then with just a few minutes more of hiking find myself in the middle of a redwood forest. Getting out in nature has this incredible way of instantly putting me at ease, while invigorating and restoring balance. Hiking in the Vibram Five Fingers made me much more aware of foot placement and used a lot more muscles than hiking in my wildland boots. It will be interesting to see the effects hiking in these while wearing a weight vest will have on my athletic performance.

Right after the hike I gathered my gear and scooted out to rugby 7s practice. I arrived at the pitch a bit earlier than most so began jogging around the field to warm up. My stamina was noticeably improved, which is nice. This has long been the hardest area for me to make improvements. I've been taking iron and chlorophyll supplements to increase the amount of oxygen my blood cells can deliver to body. It's been about a week and a half, but so far it seems to be working.