A Revolutionary Ranger's Training Log in the Age of Zombie Capitalism

Al Raven

Al Raven

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Ranger from Switzerland
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Posts: 465
End of year Workout Plan
General goals/idea:
  • Unfortunately, my knee problem isn't gone yet, so I have to prioritise these rehab/strength exercises (which I probably wouldn't do otherwise...) -> so that's basically a lot of "leg work" both at home and at the gym
  • Not sure I'm gonna be in the mood for hiit stuff (although who knows!), but I think some light (indoor) running/jogging would be nice
  • Continuing strength progression: time to get better at pushups and pullups (and maybe some weight lifting)
  • weekly goal is to complete 3-4 ("full") workouts, as well as bodyweight/GtG/casual training and stretching/mobility on a daily basis
I think I've often wanted to plan too many things, too many types of wkt, too many goals, so instead I'll focus on a couple of exercises/wkts - although I always allow myself to switch things depending on how I feel, mood, etc. This is a general guideline, I know myself I struggle to stick to rigid schedules/plans but it's still useful to have an overall concept (even if I switch things around form week to week).
  • As I've noted in the past, for various reasons (incl. narcolepsy) while I can't stick to a "everyday" program for more than a week, I can still do it while just taking my time (i.e. taking more than 30days to do a 30-day program). With that noted, I think I'm gonna organize my training until New Year around two main things:
    • a) the strength/knee wkts (it's not solely rehab, these are pretty complete wkts for lower body and even a bit of cardio; but they do focus on training my left knee)
    • b) "daily" pushups and pullups training.
  • A) I'm sure I won't stick to a single format, but here's the general idea/format (I'll also do sth similar if I choose to do it at home:
    • gym wkt:
      1. 3-4 sets:
        1. banded lateral/crab walk (my personal hell)
        2. bulgarian split squats
        3. box step ups with knee raise, optional weights, and going slow in the negative part of the movement (when lowering myself back to the ground from standing on the box)
        4. box jumps
      2. Break/Rest
      3. Leg press, including one-legged
      4. (optional/maybe) 10-20' jogging/running (treadmill)
  • B) I'm leaning towards the Pull & Push Challenge, but I might use it as a general template and adapt (i.e. do it 1/2 daily) for the reasons I mentioned, and I'm unsure whether I'll do underhand or overhand pullups
Indicative/approximative weekly plan:
Monday
  • Important to start the week with some of the stuff that takes more motivation/that's a bit less fun and/or a pain in the ass
  • Gym/knee wkt A
  • Make sure to continue the pushups/pullups - 3x maximum reps (of one ex.), 30" rest (although I might need to take longer rest)
Tuesday
  • Casual training/Push & Pull Ch.
Wednesday
  • Gym/knee wkt A
Thursday
  • Casual training/Push & Pull Ch.
Friday
  • Gym/knee wkt A
Saturday
  • Casual training/Push & Pull Ch.
Sunday
  • (...)
 
Al Raven

Al Raven

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Ranger from Switzerland
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Push & Pull day 1: pushups 3 sets of max. w/ 30" rest -> 11, 5, 3. Almost 20!
I'm still sore from the leg wkt on day 30 of Express Tone, so I couldn't do another intense one (e.g. at the gym, with box jumps and leg press and all) today.
However, I'm gonna do some stretching as well as low-intensity knee stuff (with a band, e.g. clamshells, lateral leg moves (either direction) and/or raises with a band, etc)
 
Al Raven

Al Raven

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Ranger from Switzerland
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Posts: 465
Some subjective/personal notes/principles about strength standards/benchmarks:
  • For me as useful as lifting for arms strength can be, the most fundamental feats of strength for the upper body remain mastering pushups and pullups, they're so complete and comprehensive! Then everything else is cherry on top, but personally these are the two "big ones" in terms of overall strength
  • For the lower body and back/core, I still have a special love for heavy barbell squats and deadlifts, as well as heavy carries/fireman-strongman(more in terms of exercise selection than in terms of hardcore insane weights, which go beyond what I'd like to do)-like types of exercises to move heavy stuff around (I'd like to do more of that in the future maybe, but not a priority right now)
  • Apart from that (pushups and pullups for upper body, squats and deadlifts for lower body; and carrying stuff for both upper and lower, and grip strength; and in my view core strength is already developed plenty through all these compound moves, especially if you add cardio/conditioning/power-speed-based stuff) I think there aren't any "must" benchmarks. Ppl can become stronger both with light and heavy weights, as well as simply the bodyweight (darebee has shown that, incl. their science-based guides which I really like), they can get muscle through all three too; and on the other hand "strength" (just as muscle-building/hypertrophy) as an end in itself doesn't interest me, I think there's that general baseline of resilient, functional strength and then the fun/relevant stuff is more about mixed/hybrid/functional workouts from 'movnat' to hiit to martial arts to power/athleticism stuff
(sidenote: I said "subjective" and "personal" because these are obviously not general universal absolute truths, but more what I a) believe/prefer myself i.e. my overall vision/training philosophy, and b) what I "see for myself", i.e. for my own goals/progression - which is ofc very much about the principle "to each their own")

I think it's clear from the above that for me "strength", just like most other aspect of physical activity and training, should be all about making ourselves able to use our bodies to DO stuff, to move, to fight back and survive, to help each other, to build things, to repair them and deal with obstacles/setbacks, and so on... "strength" as an end in itself - like professional weightlifters and other athletes do - is just as meaningless to me (again it's a personal thing, nothing against ppl who do it, at least not generally speaking without any context/specifics...) as muscle/body-building as an end in itself. My ideology is: training should a) for health, wellness and general joy, b) for fun and experimentation, c) making ourselves more resilient and able to do a variety of things - our bodily autonomy/agency and functional ability/skills when interacting with our environment (both natural/material and social).
 
Al Raven

Al Raven

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Ranger from Switzerland
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Posts: 465
Today's workout
Warm up
Leg press -> couple of sets increasing the weight, kinda part of the warmup (but also an exercise in itself...)
3 sets:
  1. Banded crab walk
  2. 1-leg leg press, 5 reps per leg
  3. 10 jump squats
Various knee rehab exercises with a band (lateral leg raises, knee flexions, etc with an elastic band)
Push & Pull day 3: 3 x max (30" rest) -> 13, 5, 4.
 
Al Raven

Al Raven

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Ranger from Switzerland
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Posts: 465
Workout
3 sets of this circuit:
  1. 20 kettlebell swings (kb is 12kg)
  2. to failure kb goblet squats
  3. to failure bulgarian split squats, each leg (bdw)
  4. to failure arnold press (10.5kg dumbbells)
  5. to failure hammer/bicep curls
  6. a little bit of banded crab walk (maybe)
  7. 10 jump squats
  8. light knee rehab exercises -> as rest (taking as much time as needed before starting next set)
 
Al Raven

Al Raven

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Ranger from Switzerland
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Posts: 465
P&P 10 3x max pullups (underhand): 4, 1, 1.
Canadian Dancing GIF by Shay Mitchell

It's obvious now that I need to do some ab/core work to keep progressing with pullups...
Any suggestions? (about which exercises/etc)
 
Al Raven

Al Raven

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Ranger from Switzerland
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Posts: 465
Gym workout today
  1. Warmup
  2. P&P day 12 - 3 x max pullups (1min rest): 4, ~2, 1.
  3. 3 x Circuit (described below)
  4. 3 x banded pullups (reps were something like 3, 3, 2)
  5. Leg presses: 1x10-15 reps @ 120kg
  6. 4 sets of 5+ one-legged leg presses (each leg) + knee rehab exercise (described below)
  7. Banded crab walk: I'm very bad at guessing distances in meters, but at my gym I used the "track" where ppl can do sled pulls/exercises, and I did two back-and-forths
  8. Stretching
The circuit: I did three sets, but it wasn't exactly the same exercises every time (partly because someone was using a piece of equipment I needed), so here are all the exercises I did:
  • Box step ups with 5sec lowering ~ 10 reps
  • 10 box jumps
  • 10 stepup jumps
  • walking lunges with 15kg sandbag (held on shoulders) - along the "sled track" (again, can't really say how long it is precisely...)
  • Bosu ball exercise: no idea how it's called but basically it's like doing single-leg hops like you're doing the hopscotch playground game (jeu de la marelle in French) but here I'm landing the bosu ball (and then doing it back and forth repeatedly). As I describe below, this is an physio/rehab exercise to work the left knee when I'm applying force toward the ground and rotating the leg (i.e. from instability when you land on the bosu ball)
The knee rehab exercise: basically my knee problem (left leg) is when I do knee flexion/push or step into the ground by using quad AND/WHILE rotating the ankle (either way) --> so a basic rehab exercise I did here (i think physio recommended it but it came to mind intuitively) is like if I wanted to do a one-legged vertical/squat jump (lowering on one leg before springing/jumping vertically) but staying on a straight line/angle, when I jump I rotate 90° to the left (counter-clockwise). It's as if I wanted to jump to the other side of a (vertical) line on the floor while rotating 90°.
 
Al Raven

Al Raven

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Ranger from Switzerland
Pronouns: he/him
Posts: 465
T
Al Raven said:
Gym workout today
  1. Warmup
  2. P&P day 12 - 3 x max pullups (1min rest): 4, ~2, 1.
  3. 3 x Circuit (described below)
  4. 3 x banded pullups (reps were something like 3, 3, 2)
  5. Leg presses: 1x10-15 reps @ 120kg
  6. 4 sets of 5+ one-legged leg presses (each leg) + knee rehab exercise (described below)
  7. Banded crab walk: I'm very bad at guessing distances in meters, but at my gym I used the "track" where ppl can do sled pulls/exercises, and I did two back-and-forths
  8. Stretching
The circuit: I did three sets, but it wasn't exactly the same exercises every time (partly because someone was using a piece of equipment I needed), so here are all the exercises I did:
  • Box step ups with 5sec lowering ~ 10 reps
  • 10 box jumps
  • 10 stepup jumps
  • walking lunges with 15kg sandbag (held on shoulders) - along the "sled track" (again, can't really say how long it is precisely...)
  • Bosu ball exercise: no idea how it's called but basically it's like doing single-leg hops like you're doing the hopscotch playground game (jeu de la marelle in French) but here I'm landing the bosu ball (and then doing it back and forth repeatedly). As I describe below, this is an physio/rehab exercise to work the left knee when I'm applying force toward the ground and rotating the leg (i.e. from instability when you land on the bosu ball)
The knee rehab exercise: basically my knee problem (left leg) is when I do knee flexion/push or step into the ground by using quad AND/WHILE rotating the ankle (either way) --> so a basic rehab exercise I did here (i think physio recommended it but it came to mind intuitively) is like if I wanted to do a one-legged vertical/squat jump (lowering on one leg before springing/jumping vertically) but staying on a straight line/angle, when I jump I rotate 90° to the left (counter-clockwise). It's as if I wanted to jump to the other side of a (vertical) line on the floor while rotating 90°.
Click to expand...
This was pretty good, it's obviously frustrating/irritating that I'm still not done with knee rehab (I got injured in late january lol; there's no fracture or anything, I just fell on my knee during badminton and there's a subtle issue for certain movements/angles...) but I have to persevere and do this kind of more intense/specialized workout more often... Anyways, I think this was better, it's just hard to stay consistent and do this kind of workout - which isn't particularly fun since I have to focus (at least in part) on the knee/rehab-specific exercises and circuits - several times a week...
 
Al Raven

Al Raven

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Ranger from Switzerland
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Posts: 465
I've started a new job, so I'll have to figure out how to schedule in weekday workouts (if I can...).
In other news, my abs/core are sore as hell lol, and again I think that's mainly due to training pullups (yesterday)...
It's remarkable that pullups work abs that much! But I guess I'm gonna have to do situps *eye rolls* to improve my pullup progression... (on the other hand, just continuing to practice pullups - and maybe focus on a couple of pullup bar abs exercises - might be the way to go to train those abs, I don't know...)
If someone has some (specific) tips about abs training for pullups progression, I'd love some advice/recommendations!
 
Al Raven

Al Raven

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Ranger from Switzerland
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Posts: 465
Today's workout
Before going to the gym I did 1x4 pullups (underhand grip, as usual), i.e. my current max.
Here's the gym wkt:
  1. 4 sets of Circuit:
    1. 10 step ups with 5sec lowering
    2. Sled pushes (1x back-and-forth on "sled track") with 40kg (plates)
    3. 10 box jumps
    4. Bosu ball 1leg hops exercise (see Wednesday's log/notes)
  2. Leg press: couple of reps with 120kg then with 143kg
  3. 4 set of 1leg leg press @ 86kg, 10 reps per leg, for first sets I also did the 1leg rotating jump (see Wednesday's log/notes)
P&P day 13 - max pushups (rest 1' or less): 15, 4, 3.
 
Al Raven

Al Raven

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Posts: 465
One thing that I really like about pushups and pullups (ofc this applies to other things, but they're two of the best exercises for this) is how can you treat it as a regular practice - a skill, actually - that you can slowly, at your own pace, "master" and refine, experiment with, etc... That's something that doesn't apply to everything in fitness, i.e. some things you usually have a concrete short-term plan to train (e.g. running or weightlifting) for specific goals (e.g. specific runs); running and cardio ofc is sth that's hard to maintain unless you keep training at an intense level (and increasing), that is... unless you treat it as a practice/skill that doesn't have to be purely goal-oriented but can change forms and be a consistent feature of your mode of life... Getting your squat 1RM (1 rep max) to a certain level/benchmark is a specific goal, a great achievement of course but is it a regular, lifelong practice (another example of which is obviously yoga, for some ppl)
It doesn't mean these "lifelong" "practices" are "better" than goal-oriented programs or short-term program/feats, both are great obviously! But I tend to lean towards things that are built/approached in that kind of sustainable, long-term "skill mastery/practice" way^^ I'm less interested in performance as an end in itself (tho it's obviously something that can be great, I'm not "against it" I'm talking about the big/broader picture here) as opposed to training, moving, self-care, skill practice as a lifelong physical, practical/functional, cognitive (possibly even spiritual, emotional, etc) journey, a feature of one's mode of living/being (and of relating to one's environment).
Not to sound like it's New Age BS or anything (which I largely hate), I mean it in a way closer to how some artists/craftspersons commit to their skills/crafts, and to some of traditional martial arts' philosophy/approach (although again, I have a lot of other issues with so-called "traditional martial arts", but hopefully you get what I'm referring to here)
 
Al Raven

Al Raven

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Ranger from Switzerland
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Posts: 465
Hi, I'm back. Not gonna go into what happened since december, at least not right now. But happy to be back to working out regularly. Knee still sucks, it's very frustrating but what can I do, gotta figure out how to fix it somehow. In the meantime, I'll try getting back to sticking to regular workouts again and this log is always helpful for that. I always wish I could interact and discuss with other folks more, I'll try doing it of course, but I'm always so tired and I can really only handle one or two social media at once...

Anyways, if someone sees this, how have you been since december?
 
Al Raven

Al Raven

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Ranger from Switzerland
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Posts: 465
Damer said:
Good to see you back! What's wrong with your knee exaxtly @Al Raven?
Click to expand...
Last year during badminton I lost balance and fell on my left knee, been doing physio since march or something. It's no major injury (I can move, train, run, it hurts around the knee at specific angles when putting more weight/pushing down/doing jumps or things like that), although after a year of physio and still no recovery I think we'll do some tests (even though it seems unlikely we'll find something new, but at this point we have to check...). I've been doing (as instructed by physio + some ideas I proposed) exercises like single-leg leg presses, box step ups with slow negative/lowering (for a while that was when I really felt the difference between both legs), bulgarian split squats, bosu ball exercises, band lateral crab walks (part of the pain/issue is when rotating the leg/knee outwards and then applying pressure/etc), etc

Sorry, I described it as best I could but since it's not a significant/obvious fracture and so on, it's a bit hard to define clearly...
 
Damer

Damer

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@Al Raven it sounds like a tendon injury issue. It could be as simple as localized inflammation and bruising of the tendon or a slightly more complicated partial tear. Either of these require time, patience and persistence to fix. The knee is only as strong as the muscles and tendons around it. The tendons of the knee joint itself keep it in place and activate the muscles and tendons around it, but they, unfortunately, also absorb impact and strain and can become inflamed as a result. Inflammation, in itself, is part of the body's adaptive mechanism so it isn't bad, but it can become debilitating and chronic when it lasts for a long time and is left unaddressed. It sounds like you partially hit on a solution when you do strength training and your knee gets better. I suggest you continue down that path being:

  • Methodical (record what you do each time and when)
  • Precise (pay attention to technique so you don't overload the tendons of the knee joint which are forced to compensate)
  • Slow (don't force anything explosively, make the knee and surrounding muscles work slowly and effectively)
You will then need to give it time to heal and get stronger as well so the amount of sleep you get is important as is all other activity surrounding your training.

When it comes to your body he only real expert is you. I would say be patient, be kind, listen to it and help it become better. I really hope this helps.
 
Al Raven

Al Raven

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Posts: 465
I need to set a workout plan to get back to consistent training, I've struggled since late 2023 (because of seeing no progression about my knee problem).
I'm not worried or feeling bad, it's just a little setback recently. Given my sleep and eating issues - which I can only manage/improve up to a point, beyond that not really (I've tried to do it for a full decade, it's one of the consequences of my medical issues) - I need to stay active to feel good and so on (everybody does of course, but it's an added reason for me).
I'm mainly still thinking I'll focus on pushups, pullups and some cardio/etc stuff (running, circuits, hiit, etc)...
 
Al Raven

Al Raven

Well-known member
Ranger from Switzerland
Pronouns: he/him
Posts: 465
Al Raven said:
I need to set a workout plan to get back to consistent training, I've struggled since late 2023 (because of seeing no progression about my knee problem).
I'm not worried or feeling bad, it's just a little setback recently. Given my sleep and eating issues - which I can only manage/improve up to a point, beyond that not really (I've tried to do it for a full decade, it's one of the consequences of my medical issues) - I need to stay active to feel good and so on (everybody does of course, but it's an added reason for me).
I'm mainly still thinking I'll focus on pushups, pullups and some cardio/etc stuff (running, circuits, hiit, etc)...
Click to expand...
Okay so the goal is committing to three solid workouts a week, in order to get back some training consistency/rythm. Not super important what I do, but as I said it's probably be centered around cardio/etc stuff, and some pushups and pullups.
 
Al Raven

Al Raven

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Ranger from Switzerland
Pronouns: he/him
Posts: 465
Two long-term goals for me re: pushups and pullups
(not necessarily my priority right now though: at the moment I just want to get back to consistent training + maybe drop a bit of fat + continue knee rehab)
  • Basically, I don't need or want to reach super high "max" numbers for pullups (all grips) and pushups in one go, but I still want to reach a benchmark, then it's more about doing more sets and "total" reps (during a workout, a day, etc) than doing 50+pushups at once or whatever.
  • Pushups max. goal: 20-ish reps (perfect form, slow, etc)
    • Also, building up to 3-5 x 10 reps, and eventually 3-5 x 20 reps
  • Pullups goal: 10-15 reps (perfect form, slow, etc), for either/all grip(s)
I'm not completely sure what my pushups max is right now, probably around 10. But to be honest, this is if I push "to failure" and when I have some number/benchmarks as goals, it's not merely doing it like this (reaching full muscle fatigue) but being able to complete the set with perfect, probably slower form and without getting completely exhausted...
 
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