I'm sure all of you know all about my workout history from the 2008 Blog and some even read the 2007 Blog so I'll just give my opinion of last year vs this year.

Here's the link to my 2007 blog (really just the last third of my workout season, but still a good read)

http://www.talkpa.net/my-workout-blog-fall-t2880.html

And here's the link to my 2007 blog on my old forum (starting in June, the TalkPA one starts in October, plus this has some stuff the TalkPA one doesn't)

http://altoonapenna.proboards.com/in...lay&thread=347

Here's the link to my 2008 blog (the year my whole workout format changed, it was the old way the first month and a half, but soon had to change)

http://www.talkpa.net/altoona-mans-w...log-t4484.html

Here's the link to the 2008 blog on my forum (but this one stops when I took a long hiatus and almost quit working out, I soon shut my board down)

http://altoonapenna.proboards.com/in...lay&thread=348

Don't bother trying to post on my forum, it's been shut down for over a year, but still nice as an archive if you want to follow the link just to read it. Remember when I stopped my 2008 blog on my forum, I soon after shut my board down (I shut it down in June), but also remember that I very nearly retired from working out, strongly considered it and was pretty sure I was going to, until I started easing back into it with grippers, that is. But really, last year began ordinarily enough for March and April. I did at least one of each workout that I'd done for years past, but a severe leg injury forced me to stop working out for a couple months completely, I actually retired from my old form of working out, but not altogether, like I thought I'd have to. As time went on, and I got better, I slowly reintegrated working out with grippers and a few other things into my routine, and by year's end there was talk of in the new year, reintroducing some old things like bench pressing, deadlifting, and other various and sundry things I used to like to do. Here's what's going to be different this year.

(UPDATES/REVISIONS added 4/26/09, further UPDATES/REVISIONS added 7/21/09)

- I'm going to keep a physical record of my workouts, but I won't use the calendar to just mark out my workouts like I did up through last year. I'll write it all out in a journal (ultimate real time update) as I do it. And then just transcribe that to TalkPA. That way I have physical evidence of my 2009 workouts and a way to record them if TalkPA goes haywire again. (4/26/09: I may bring the Calendar back, but I won't use it as much to record grades, since that's what the journal is for, but it'll still serve its old purpose for the most part of keeping track of my workouts) (7/21/09: I don't see the Calender coming back, now that the internet is here and I use journals, the Calender stopped being useful in 2007, but I kept using it until mid-2008) (9/14/09: Again, the Calendar will probably not be used anymore, but I still keep my old ones in a box, and the 2009 one is put away somewhere, you know, I might use it for Penn State's football season? Gotta find a use for it)
- The grading system is still going to be used, but I'm giong to be more lenient early on, and much tougher as the year goes on. Since I took a month off, I'm probably very, very rusty. (7/21/09: Same thing happened post injury, but I'm recovering faster and not fatiguing as much)
- I'll reintroduce the weightlifting stuff sometime in February, and every year I'm going to start that part of the workout in February instead of late January. (4/26/09: I was close, March was when it came back) (7/21/09: It'll come back again in August most likely) (9/14/09: Actually, September it was)
- More manual labor workouts, especially outside of snowpile season (4/26/09: So far all I've got is my rock lifting workout) (7/21/09: Still hoping to bring back my manual labor workouts) (9/14/09: Just one manual labor workout so far all year. I hope to do something with helping get firewood soon)
- Non-rigid workout schedules, only keeping the pattern of Thursday and Sunday grip workouts alternating, everything else can fill itself in whenever it works best. (4/26/09: This is mostly true, but I have certain limitations because of the way the body works) (9/14/09: Or, I can just do what most do, and do certain things every other week, like the rock lifting and such when I bring it back)
- Now that I'm using it regularly, tougher grading on the wrist roller (4/26/09: This is true, I'm also cranking up the weight used) (9/14/09: The wrist roller is still hard to grade, but it is tougher now that I'm using the same as on my pinch block)
- More weight on the pinch block towards the Thursday grade, since I badly need to work on that. (4/26/09: Yes, that is why I've been getting lots of "F" grades) (7/21/09: I also gave myself a "-2" grade because of the problems with the Thursday workout, to this day the only "-2" ever, many of my "-1" grades also are from these. Negative grades didn't exist before this year) (9/14/09: Also a "-1" turned -"100" from frustration once, but ever since then, I've had more and more good grades and less and less bad grades)
- The partial reintroduction of Tuneup Tuesday (only used when needed) (4/26/09: It's been more than a partial reintroduction) (7/21/09: More like a permanent fixture) (9/14/09: Not as common as they once were, but still the Tuneup Tuesday is here to stay)
- (7/21/09) The injury changes the entire dynamic of the year, it's likekly that the second quarter of the year will have an even worse grade than the first quarter did, but there's still hope for the second half of the year. I'm really hoping that I don't screw up something in the second half of the year. Especially since another stupid leg injury will cause me problems for snowpiling.
- (9/14/09) A little WD-40 goes a long way to restoring progress in workouts and improving the overall morale that goes with it as I work out.

This year hopefully will be a promising year in terms of progress. But we will see on Sunday, which will be the "Kickoff Workout", but other than the fancy title, it'll just be an ordinary heavy gripper workout. This year should be overall way more productive than last year where I tried to take it easy for the most part because I didn't want to reaggrivate some injury.

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4/26/09: No injuries so far other than the scare I had in early April. Here's the progress report for each thing so far.

Grippers: Very slight progress, despite still occasionally struggling with the Master, I can almost close the Ironmind #2
Pinch Block: No progress, infact some workouts I seem to have regressed a little
Chest Crush: After falling into a pit for awhile, I seem to be climbing back out, little by little, I'm almost starting to see progress again
Wrist Roller: TONS of progress. I've nearly doubled the weight I'm using on the wrist roller from early this year
Anvil Lifting: This is a warmup exercise, not very much factored into the grade, but I've been doing pretty good here
Bench Press: I started out using pennyweight with high reps to get back into the groove, I seem to be making real progress here
Rock Lifting: I haven't done enough of this to really know where I'm at yet, but I SEEM to be making real progress here
Deadlifting: Haven't brough it back yet
Plate Pinching: I've done too few to know if I'm making progress or not
Bent Press: No idea

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7/21/09: After being down and out for a month and a half from an injury in May and June, I'm back to working out again

Grippers: No real progress yet, but this is where I seem to have lost the least strength during that time off
Pinch Block: I've fallen into a bit of a pit here, and I'm hoping to get myself unstuck from that pit and eventually see progress and 37.5 lbs
Chest Crush: After initially having some trouble getting it to work good again, I might start seeing real progress again
Wrist Roller: Moderate amounts of progress, eventually I want to be using more on the wrist roller than my pinch block
Anvil Lifting: Mostly a warmup, but I need to invest in a 55 lb anvil for other exercises and keep the 15 lber as my Thursday warmup tool
Bench Press: I have yet to reintroduce this, at this point I'm still unsure if reintroducing it is a good idea
Rock Lifting: I want to get back into doing this before fall comes, but I need to know that I can safely bench press first
Deadlifting: Still haven't brought it back yet, but it will be the final thing to be brought back post injury
Plate Pinching: This always goes with my bench day like bread and butter, so this will have to wait until the bench comes back
Bent Press: Still no idea

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9/14/09: After dodging an injury bullet last month, I made some amazing discoveries about my pinch block and my grippers.

Grippers: After more bummer workouts, I cleaned the springs thoroughly with WD-40 and find I'm making progress afterall and that the grippers were sticking.
Pinch Block: I discovred that I overlooked a 5lb plate that I added last year, so I'm using 40 lbs, not 35, and I AM making progress (well, sort of).
Chest Crush: I'm starting to see progress once again, plus the WD-40 cleaning should help me make huge burts or progress this fall.
Wrist Roller: I'm now using on the wrist roller what I'm using on the pinch block (40 lbs), expect them to go foreby each other before year's end.
Anvil Lifting: Again, still a warmup, but a great lift to practice, I still need to buy that 55 lber so I can practice it in its own right, too.
Bench Press: I'm back to doing this, first workout was a disaster, hope to see better ones later on. I hope to see some improvement later on.
Rock Lifting: Still not yet, I'll reintroduce it in October. I want to before winter hits, because you can only do this April through November, if that.
Deadlifting: I don't even know if I'm going to reintroduce it this year. Like rock lifting, I have to remember to just not do it if I'm too tired.
Plate Pinching: This was a great exercise, I really need to bring this back, this and the pinch block can co-boost each other.
Bent Press: I'm not bringing this back, I think this, along with being tired and trying to save a failed rep rock lifting one day, injured my back last spring.

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12/13/09: My next to last update, although I can't give a full picture until after the Grand Finale Workout, I'm very close

Grippers: The progress is continuing for me, what once was my least favorite workout is now my favorite workout, I'm nearly closing the BBSM
Pinch Block: I'm making some progress, but it's painfully slow, but still more progress than I had made all year, almost ready to move up 2.5 lbs
Chest Crush: After struggling with the Elite, I've moved up to the Super Elite, and now am ready to move up to the Grand Elite, amazing progress
Wrist Roller: I'm still making progress with that, although not as much as my beginner's progress burst, it's still a lot of continued progress over time
Anvil Lifting: Still a warmup, but I'm getting more extensive with it, doing more extensive wrist work with both hands, not just lifting it now
Bench Press: Progress isn't really all that much here, but at least it's something, there was a quick burst in late October of massive progress, though
Rock Lifting: I did one last rock lifting workout for the year in December and actually did my best ever, I was also careful to avoid mistakes
Deadlift: I'm doing some deadlift practice with feather-light weight for now in case I'm possibly deadlifting real weight again
Plate Pinching: Not only did I bring it back, but I'm using two 25s and I'm knocking on the door of plate pinching two 35s with my right hand
Bent Press: Won't be brought back, the odd twisting likely contributed more to suscepitability to injury than any rock lifting thing I might have done

__________________
Click on the beautiful Altoona skyline to go to my website about central Pennsylvania.

There are several reasons to believe that this season will be more successful than last season. One is that I've given myself a long time to heal from any nagging injuries or strains, and I won't do things like squats. I'm going to reintroduce some things as the year goes on. We know I'm doing the grippers, but there are things I'm thinking about reintroducing. Here's a list.

Definate

-Grippers (the foundation of my new workout regime) - SUNDAY GRIP WORKOUT
-Pinch Block - THURSDAY GRIP WORKOUT
-Manual Labor - DONE WHEN I CAN
-Wrist Roller - THURSDAY GRIP WORKOUT
-Anvil Work - THURSDAY GRIP WORKOUT

Probably

-Bench Press - BROUGHT BACK
-Plate Pinch - BROUGT BACK
-Auxillary Chest Area Work - TUNEUP TUESDAY
-Bigger Anvil (maybe a 50 lber for harder work) - EVENTUALLY

Maybe

-Deadlift - WILL ALMOST CERTAINLY BE BROUGHT BACK NEXT YEAR
-Plate Rows - UNLIKELY
-Pulldown Machine - UNLIKELY
-One handed clean and press (for testing) with the 100 lb dumbbell - WILL BE BROUGHT BACK

Probably Not

-Leg Press - CONFIRMED AS NOT
-Military Press - BROUGHT BACK (DUMBBELLS)
-Bent Over Rows - CONFIRMED AS NOT

Definately Not

-Squats - CONFIRMED AS NOT
-Anything that might have injured me in the past that I forgot to mention

Here's a list of my goals for 2009

Note: Goals may change depending on what I add or subtract. Also, I know I won't meet every goal, but it's nice to have them here.

Close the Ironmind #2 - DONE 9/22/09
Close the BeefBuilder Super Master
Close the BeefBuilder Master left handed - DONE 11/23/09
Chest Crush the BeefBuilder Super Elite - DONE 10/8/09
Chest Crush the BeefBuilder Grand Elite - DONE 11/24/09
Chest Crush the Ironmind #4
No set close the BeefBuilder Super Advanced - DONE 2/5/09
No set close the Ironmind #1 for 5 good reps - DONE 2/14/09
Two-Finger Close The Ironmind #1 - DONE 12/8/09
Bench Press 200 lbs for 3 reps
Bench Press 225 lbs for 1 rep
Bench Press 225 lbs for 3 reps
Bench Press 250 lbs for 1 rep
Deadlift 315 lbs for 6 reps
Deadlift 365 lbs for 6 reps
Deadlift 385 lbs for 6 reps
Deadlift 405 lbs for 2 reps
Pinch grip four 10 lb plates for 20 seconds - DONE 10/23/09
Pinch grip two 25 lb plates for 20 seconds - DONE 10/31/09
Pinch grip two 45 lb plates for 20 seconds using two hands
Pinch grip two 35 lb plates for 10 seconds
Pinch grip two 45 lb plates at all
Use 42.5 lbs on my Pinch Block
Use 45 lbs on my Pinch Block
Use 25 lbs on my Wrist Roller - DONE 4/2/09
Use 30 lbs on my Wrist Roller - DONE 4/18/09
Use 35 lbs on my Wrist Roller - DONE 8/29/09
Use 40 lbs on my Wrist Roller - DONE 9/7/09
Use 50 lbs on my Wrist Roller
Carry two 40 lb buckets for two laps of manual labor
Carry two 40 lb buckets for three laps of manual labor
Carry two 40 lb buckets for four laps of manual labor
Carry two 40 lb buckets for five laps of manual labor
Carry a 50 lb sandbag for five laps of manual labor
Carry an 80 lb sandbag for one lap of manual labor
Carry an 80 lb sandbag for two laps of manual labor
Carry a 100 lb sandbag for one lap of manual labor
Carry an 80 lb sandbag for three laps of manual labor
Carry a 200 lb stone for more than 12 steps - DONE 4/27/09
Carry a 200 lb stone for more than 20 steps - DONE 12/2/09
Carry a 200 lb stone for more than 30 steps
Carry a 200 lb stone for more than 50 steps
Lift and hold a 200 lb stone for at least 100 seconds - DONE 4/27/09
Lift and hold a 200 lb stone for at least 120 seconds
Lift and hold a 200 lb stone for at least 150 seconds
Lift and hold a 200 lb stone for at least 180 seconds
Lift and hold a 200 lb stone for at least 200 seconds
Lift and hold a 200 lb stone for at least 240 seconds
Stay injury free - NO, Injury Hiatus from 5/6/09 to 6/22/09

The last one can only be considered DONE once the workout season is over, but that one is the most important to meeting a lot of these goals. I feel rested, relaxed, and recharged after a month off, so there's no reason I shouldn't be able to do at least 3/4 of these goals. I'll probably know by April if I'm on the right track here or if things are going to go wrong. Hopefully I don't spend half of the year this time in a huge rut like I was in for much of last fall (until the end, where the workouts miraculously started getting good). My first workout will be on Sunday, the 25th, and the next one will be on the 31st. As each goal is met, I'll mark each off as DONE and put the date.

9/14/09 Update: It seems many will not be met this year and will be carried over to next year as goals, but some will still be met by year's end.

I no longer use the percentage based grading system. I also factor in quality primarily, time secondarily now, simply using a letter grade system. I base these on where I currently am, amount of progress I made, circumstances, even in stuff like the weather enough that a B in sunny weather may be a B+ in dreary weather because it's tougher to work out when it's gloomy outside because self-motivation isn't as easy. But I mostly grade on quality. Time is based on an honor system, I trust myself to workout in a reasonable time, I've found that genuine motivation eliminates the need for a timer. Rather than grading to the minute, times are approximated. For example, both 58 minutes and 62 minutes are treated as an hour. But a range of 55-75 minutes is a typical gripper workout (45 to 60 minutes is typical for the bench press and rock lifting).

A+++: Completely impossible workout. Except that it actually happened. A workout or anything that gets this grade is something special. I almost never give out this grade. one could say I avoid giving out this grade unless it was so great that I couldn't not give it an A+++ grade.

A++: Impossible workout! Or really, it's just so good that it seems impossible. Much rarer than even the A+ perfect workout. Not only does everything go right, but you do better than you could have possibly imagined. Not only must everything go right, but everything must go beyond what you imagined being possible for greatness. This is the rarest workout that can happen. Requires pure luck along with the most perfect execution that you can possibly do. This is a perfect storm of great events, not only do the stars line up for you, but so do the moons, the planets, the galaxies, everything. These let you know that you have tbe best workout plan around and to stick with it, maybe even tell your friends. Either that, or you're just going way too easy on yourself with the grades.

A+: Perfect workout! Extremely rare and one of the rare treats of working out. Everything went right, and all goals that day were well surpassed on every set and rep. EVERYTHING must go right for this grade to be awarded. This is the rarest workout award you will probably get. Requires a very heavy dose of luck along with top notch skill execution. The best of the "stars lined up for me" series. These remind you that you have a great workout plan and to stick with it. If these aren't rare, then you're either being too generous with yourself when you're grading or having a great progress streak at the moment. Either way, these are great.

A: Amazing workout. Also super rare and another rare treat of working out. Everything went right except maybe one or two things that just went okay. Goals were well surpassed for that day. Nothing actually went wrong, but there might have been a less than perfect execution on a single rep or something like that. Also requires a lot of luck and top notch skill and execution. The second best of the "stars lined up for me" series. These remind you that you have a great workout plan and to stick with it. If these aren't rare, then you're either too generous with yourself or very good at working out.

A-: Superb workout. Not as rare as the top two, but again, one of those rare treats for those who work out. A few things may have been less than perfect, but there were no actual slip ups, nothing went wrong. A healthy mix of good and great in general, but with some perfect execution mixed in. This requires some luck, but is generally skill based, requiring superb skill. The last of the "stars lined up for me" series. If these aren't all that rare, then you're likely grading yourself too generously, or maybe you're just that good.

A/B: Excellent workout. Quite rare, but not as much as the above. Still a delight for anyone to get. This is a workout that borders between the great and the best workouts. A tiny bit of perfect execution may or may not be present, but much of what happened is great with some okay mixed in. Despite the tiny slip ups, you feel true progress being made just as much as with the higher graded workouts. Highest you can get without at least a little luck. The lowest of the "stars lined up for me series", but still a workout that anyone would be thrilled to get. If these are common, then you're too generous with yourself or you're just a natural.

B+ Great workout. Uncommon, but not as rare as the boave. Very pleasant to have on a regular basis. It doesn't bring the euphoria of an A-range workout, but it does bring the joy that you get from knowing you make progress. You have some slip ups, some good, and even some great. Getting these on a regular basis lets you know that you have the skill to occasionally get an A-grade workout and it reminds you that what you are doing is working very well and to keep at it. If these are common, then you're either great at working out, or maybe too generous with your goals and standards.

B: Very good workout. Somewhat uncommon, but a good workout grade to have as your average. It feels great, but it doesn't make you as optimistic for the next workout as a higher graded workout might. Nonetheless, you still realize that what you are doing is working, and you feel great, although not overcome with joy. You have some slip ups, but a lot of good, with possibly the tiniest hint of greatness with some things. These let you know that you're making progress. If common, you're on a "winning streak" so to speak.

B-: Good workout. Somewhat common, but the best of the more common types of workouts. It still gives you satisfaction, some optimism, but you feel like you could have done better, while not complaining about the results too much. There are some slip ups, maybe a serious slip up or two, but there's quite a bit of good about this workout. While more common, these still leave you feeling good. Again, you know to keep doing what you're doing, because it's working.

B/C: Decent workout. Common. A little above average overall, somewhat satisfying, with a generous blend of the good, the bad, the okay, and maybe even the ugly, but with a lot more good than anything else. You feel that you could have done better, but realize that you did good overall, and it gives you a little optimism for next time and this kind of workout can still lift your mood. You feel like what you're doing is working, but realize that everything doesn't always go your way. But more goes your way than doesn't, so you're somewhat happy.

C+: Satisfactory workout. Very common. Just the tiniest bit above average. It's satisfactory, but not so much satisfying you as your goals. While you feel that little progress is made, you don't feel too bad about this kind of workout. While some good happened, most of it was just okay, some was bad, and some may have been downright ugly. You feel content, but want to do better on your next workout. Nonetheless, you feel like what you're doing is working for you and that you're making slow, but steady progress.

C: Average workout. The most common. Straight down the middle average. A tiny bit of good, a noticable dose of bad, a big dose of okay, and a small dose of ugly. Some things went right, others didn't. You feel content, but somewhat unsatisfied. You want to do better on your next workout, but the tiny bit of optimism in the back of your head reminds you that at least it wasn't a bad workout, so you don't leave this workout feeling like you did a bad job, because some things did go right. You're still left with a good feeling that what you're doing is working for you, and that progress is a slow, steady thing, and not every workout can be an A or B grade workout.

C-: Flat workout. The second most common. This is a slightly below average, but decent workout. There may have been a glimmer of good in there, but there was a lot of okay, a lot of bad, and some things that just plain went wrong. You want to do better next time, but realize that these sorts of workouts happen. You feel somewhat content, but not all that satisfied, but at the same time the workout doesn't sour your mood. You still know how much worse it could have been, and at the same time you can tell that what you're doing is working, and that not every workout will see leaps of progress, you know that progress is slow and sometimes you take a step back, yet realize that it's working for you in the long run, even if not as visible here as you had hoped.

C/D: Underachieving workout. Very common. This is your typical "off day" type of workout, but nothing unusually bad. Some things may have been alright, while others were bad, and others were downright awful. While realizing that this workout is nowhere near as bad as it gets, you at the same time realize that this kind of workout is what hinders progress. It doesn't leave a sour aftertaste, but the workout is one you're glad to get overwith. You're pretty sure that you're making progress overall, and you know that sometimes you have off days, a part of every workout, but you can't shake that lingering doubt that it's time to shake things up.

D+: Unsatisfactory workout. Common, but not so common that you get these all the time. These are usually the kinds of workouts that people dread having, because they are even worse than the typical off day by a long shot. Many things went wrong, and the workout's "redeeming" characteristics were moments of just meeting par. It leaves a sour mood afterwards, but you soon realize that this workout was likely an abberation. Unplesant enough that the joy of finishing it may be the best part of the workout. Here you begin to wonder if what you are doing is working overall.

D: Disappointing workout. Somewhat common, but thankfully not very common. Goals are quite far from being met. This workout consists of almost entirely underperforming, and the lone "bright spot" is usually a moment of meeting par. But everything else went wrong. These workouts find a way to ruin your mood for an hour or so, but you realize that the workout is done and you get a chance of redemption next time. Here you can be sure that you need to change something if these become common. Typical result of a plateau.

D-: Bad workout. Thankfully, not very common. This workout fails to meet any of your goals, but the fact that some things may have approached par keeps it barely within the passing range. While you have a lot of negative things to say about your workout, it won't enrage you like a failing workout might. While you feel that progress is lacking, you don't feel like you're regressing either. Here, something needs to change, whether it be your approach or your actual workout regime if these become common.

D/F: Very bad workout. Luckily these are uncommon. On the border between passing and failing. Some things here and there meet the standard of "okay, I guess this wasn't too bad", while most of it is lacking in anything quality. Usually a bit of bad luck plays a role in these sorts of workouts. These workouts can ruin your mood for awhile and make you feel like you're regressing. It's also a sign that some things in your workout need to change a lot, you've definately hit a plateau if you see this more than once in a row.

F: Terrible workout. Getting an F workout is pretty rare, it means that this workout failed to meet any of your goals by a long shot and even failed to meet the criteria for anything salvageable from it. With a D range workout, there's something salvageable. Not so with the failing workout. One of the quickest ways to get you in a bad mood is to have one of these workouts. Generally a sign that things are going wrong, usually there is an outside element affecting this workout, or you need a complete overhaul if this is common.

F/0: Awful workout: It sucks every bit as much as the tornado-like designation it looks like. An F/0 (added on September 23, 2009) is a workout that is worse than an F, but not quite a 0, and you don't know where to put it so under the old system you'd make it an F or sometimes a 0 if you were in a particularly bad mood. But now there's a name for it. This workout is so bad that not only is nothing salvagable, but there are things that went beyond the worst you could have seen yourself doig on this day. There were some things that went completely wrong and your "best" things only went "a little wrong". A workout like this is almost as uncommon as a true 0, but not as common as the F. This one should be very rare, but if it happens more than a few fluke times, you know something is wrong with your workout regimine and it's time for an overhaul. Sometimes an outside force has something to do with a grade this bad. These usually happen during a big rut or plateau where progress is hard to find.

0: Horrible workout. These are very rare and the kind of workouts you like to pretend never happened, because thinking about them longer than you have to will instantly put you in a bad mood. There's nothing remotely salvageable about this workout, this is a workout where everything went as wrong as it could. The only satisfaction you get out of this is when it's over, it's over. Usually a sign that there are major things wrong with your workouts if these are common and that there is an outside force causing this.

-1: Abysmal workout. A workout so terrible that it defies description. You'll know these when you get these. You somehow do worse than you thought was humanly possible, leading you to wonder whether your muscles were replaced by Jello for the duration of that workout. These should not be common, otherwise you are doing something very, very wrong or possibly set your standards too lofty. These happen when your workouts are completely wrong or there is something else interfering with the workouts.

-2: Deplorable workout. At least with the -1 you feel like you tried, as awful as the workout seemed. With this one, you feel as you didn't do much more than look at the workout equiptment and call it a workout. A true Murphy's Law workout. Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong, and boy does it go wrong. If these are common, either you shouldn't be working out or it's time to reevaluate your standards and goals.

-3 to -100: Incomprehensibly disgracefully apocolyptically horrid workout: In varying degrees, anything from -3 to -100 is given to indicate absolute and complete failure to produce anything remotely resembling what could even be hypothetically called in any sort of theory of disaster using the loosest definitions possible a workout.

U: Ungradeable workout. With this workout, it's usually something expirimental, but so signifficant that it has to receive something. Although it doesn't count as a grade, it's something a lot bigger than a 5-10 minute tuneup workout that's never graded or mentioned outside of the blog. All "U" grade workouts are notable enough to be mentioned in my real life workout journal, but it wouldn't be fair to grade it.

As per tradition, my first workout of the year is always my "meat and potatoes" workout that the Grand Finale is also based on. My perfect streak of decent kickoff workouts came crashing to an end today, and with a workout so terrible that it defies description. Get yourselves some buckets handy, because if you've followed my workout blog last year, or in 2007 on my old forum, this one will just make you sick!

Heavy Gripper Workout with the Master

1R. Got it down to 1/2" using a deep set
1L. Got it down to 3/4" using a deep set

2R. Got it down to 1/3" using a deep set
2L. Got it down to 3/4" using a deep set

3R. Got it down to 2/3" using a deep set
3L. Got it down halfway using a deep set

4R. Got it down to 1/2" using a deep set
4L. Got it down halfway using a deep set

Light Gripper Workout with the Super Advanced

1R. Closed and held for 3 seconds using a shallow set
1L. Got it down to 1 mm using a deep set

2R. Closed and held for 7 seconds using an intermediate set
2L. Got it down to 1/8" using a deep set

3R. Closed? and held for 6 seconds using an intermediate set
3L. Got it down to 1 mm using a deep set

Grade: -1

Post workout commentary: In my new workout journal, I marked it down as a 0 before even finishing, little did I know that the last set would push the boundaries into the negative zone. No, this workout is not even worthy of a 0. This workout is too awful to even give an opinion on, so I'll just say that I hope this abomination is an aberration. I'm going to pretend that this workout never happened and consider the definately needed Tuneup Tuesday as the true first workout. Of course, this workout really did happen, but this black hole of a workout sucks so much that light can't even escape it. The only thing that can, and has, escaped it is time. I'm glad to be done with it, but not glad to have my perfect streak of acceptable or good kickoff workouts come crashing to an end. Oh well, at least I still have my perfect record with grand finale workouts and 8 out of 9 is still a statistic to be proud of.

On the bright side, at least my snowpile blog had something worth reading. Be sure to check it out. Sorry to all of you expecting something great to start off the new workout season that you had to read this instead of the usual strong start.

Motivation... I lacked it this weekend. Might be something in the air.

__________________
I have learned that stress is caused by saying "no problem" when you really mean "no chance".

Glad to know it wasn't just me that felt off all weekend. But right now my high hopes for 2009 were instantly dismantled. Unless I do a 180 over February, that is. Also, I ended up changing the grade in the journal for the Kickoff Workout to a -1 anyway.

I did the longest Tuneup Tuesday I can remember, and it wasn't all that great either. But on the bright side, it was much, MUCH better than my kickoff workout (just about anything would be). This one wasn't really too bad, kind of flat overall, especially at the beginning, but although I could have done better being it's a Tuneup Tuesday, I could have also done a lot worse. I was kind of hoping to not need one, but by virtue of not getting quite the satisfaction I wanted out of this workout, I'll be doing a (hopefully) one time only Fixup Friday before doing my other workout on Saturday. Luckily it'll be a 3 minute workout, so it won't interfere with the so-called "Thursday" Grip Workout which I'll be doing on Saturday, seeing as how it's early in the workout season.

No Set Close of the Ironmind #1

RH. Closed!
LH. Down to 1/8"

Thumb Work

Warmups with the Guide (6 RH, 1 LH)

Working Set with the Sport

1R. 3 reps
1L. 1/2 rep

2R. 1 rep
2L. 1/2 rep

Working Set with the IMTUG#5 (1/2 RH, FAILED LH)

Ring and Pinky Work

Guide Warmup (10 RH, 10 LH)
Sport Warmup (8 RH, 5 LH)

Working Set with the Trainer

1R. 2
1L. 1/2

2R. 2
2L. 1

Working Set with the IMTUG#5

1R. 5
1L. 3

2R. 6
2L. 2

Cooldown with the Sport (7 RH, 5 LH)

Grade: C-

Post workout commentary: Although this was much better than the Kickoff Workout to say the least, it still was a little disappointing, especially given how Tuneup Tuesdays usually yield great results. While it was flat overall, espcially at the beginning, where I was actually considering a D+ or C/D, some things DID go right, especially towards the end, and I feel more satisfaction from this than I did the kickoff workout. By virtue of the fact Tuneup Tuesday didn't go as well as planned, but still went okay, there will be (probably) one Fixup Friday, and then things should revert to normal. While I did get a C-, I think I did work on some weak points in my ring and pinky fingers and that should carry over to the next "Sunday" Grip Workout.

Not really a workout, but worth mentioning. It's so short I won't even give it a grade or a post workout commentary. But this should be the first and last Fixup Friday. While the Kickoff Workout was about as satisfying as food that's been sitting out for a week and the Tuneup Tuesday was much better, but not good, tomorrow I'll find out if I've really shaken off that rust from taking off a month or if I've lost a whole year's worth of work in one month.

- Two Squezes on the IMTUG5 with the pinky and ring fingers of each hand
- Two pinky finger squeezes on a sporting goods store gripper

I've been off myself. Really since the holidays. Getting back on track though, but it seems I have to start all over again. Funny how out of it you can get after just a few weeks.

__________________

Look within...The secret is inside you.

While I am looking forward to tomorrow's workout, the so-called "Thursday Grip Workout" which usually is done on Thursdays, I'm also looking forward to getting another crack at that "Sunday Grip Workout" and seeing if I can at least get a respectable workout out of it.

I have to start next week. Need to get my mind in the zone. No motivation so I have to remember what I went through in 06 and 07 battling the invader. Starting my workout at 5:30am really is a challenge in cold weather.

__________________
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Really a kickoff workout in its own right, it's the first of the auxillary grip workouts. At the beginning of the workout, it seemed like I was on track to have another workout like the actual kickoff workout. But after a start that can only be described as a cold slap in the face, the ship got righted again. This was a far cry from a good workout, but much, much better than the actual Kickoff Workout.

Lifted the 15 lb anvil three times each hand by the horn

Pinch Block loaded to 35 lbs

1R. Lifted and held for 21 seconds
1L. FAILED

2R. Lifted and held for 26 seconds
2L. FAILED

3R. Lifted and held for 31 seconds
3L. Lifted and held for 8 seconds

Chest Crushes with the BeefBuilder Elite

1. 6 reps, 2 clicked
2. 8 reps, 6 clicked
3. 6 reps, 4 clicked

Loaded the wrist roller to 20 lbs, did three full sets with it

Grade: D+

Post workout commentary: This time, the workout blog will be a better read than the snowpile blog. Nothing happened at all with the snowpile blog, but I had a somewhat passable workout. I actually would have given this a C- or a C/D at worst, but I took longer on the workout than I really wanted (was sorta watching a movie while doing the workout), showing that time still is factored into the final score. But the workout itself was a little concerning. I'm still woefully inconsistant with the pinch block, but even worse than average. Two failed attempts with the left hand is distressing. The chest crushing I did about as well as expected. I knew there'd be a little rust, but not much dropoff, and I was right. The wrist roller part actually exceeded expectations. I'm hoping that before Ash Wednesday all the cobwebs are shaken out and my workouts are not only back to the way they were, but progress is being made once again. I'm not at all pleased with this workout, but I'm not disgusted like I was with the Kickoff Workout. Some good did come out of this, and I'm a little optimistic about the next workout, but still that pinch block, being 50% of the grade (along with 20% chest crushing, 20% wrist roller, and 10% time to be exact) definately needs work.

Lifted a 31.5 lb stack of weights with each thumb three times

Holy crap!

Sorry... that just sounds painful!

Not really, since I have a special loop shaped thingy that allows me to lift weight with one finger at a time. I actually could have handled more weight. But then again, I'm used to single and double finger carrying, like when I carry two cases of pop on one hand using two fingers on each case of pop.

BTW, I think that set the record for the shortest workout blog entry ever. I wanted to comment on it in the entry, but it'd have made it longer.

I suppose I should stop thinking about how much pain certain things cause me and look at it from how easy some things used to be.

I used to go grocery shopping and challenge myself to get all of the bags to the house in one trip. Now, I am lucky to get 2 per hand... I have been working on strengthening my wrist, but I will soon have to go back for surgery to have another cyst that is sitting on a nerve removed.

It's kinda funny how my Sunday grip workout was done on Thursday while my Thursday workout was done on Saturday, a day you'd expect the Sunday one to be done on. And this one was actually much better than the kickoff workout version, a far, far cry from great, but at least I'm on the right track (sort of).

Heavy Gripper Workout with the Master

1R. Got it down to 1 mm using a deep set
1L. Got it down to 1/2" using a deep set

2R. Closed? and held for 3 seconds using a deep set
2L. Got it down to 1/3" using a deep set

3R. Got it down to 1/16" using a deep set
3L. Got it down to 1/3" using a deep set

4R. Got it down to 1/16" using a deep set
4L. Got it down to 1/2" using a deep set

Light Gripper Workout with the Super Advanced

1R. Closed and held for 11 seconds using a shallow set, overcrush
1L. Closed? and held for 6 seconds using a deep set

2R. Closed and held for 13 seconds using a shallow set, overcrush
2L. Got it down to 1 mm using a deep set

3R. Closed and held for 8 seconds using no set
3L. Closed? and held for 4 seconds using a deep set

Grade: C-

Post workout commentary: There, now this is much better. Nowhere near what I want, but at least I don't feel miserable about my workout performance. Most of the improvement I noticed was in the right hand, but I did notice some left hand improvement. The left hand needs the most work on Tuneup Tuesday (which, ironically, will be on Sunday this week probably), but the right hand isn't quite up to snuff. But I did close the Master, overcrush the Super Advanced and close it no set, and I am consistantly closing the Super Advanced left handed again. But I should be closing the Super Advanced all the time with either hand, and closing the Master consistantly at least with the right hand and coming close to the left. But while today was another off day, there was some good that came out of it, and the fact that it wasn't exactly a disaster is why I gave it a C-. Next Sunday Grip Workout will switch to the one where I no set close the Ironmind #1. I'm expecting a little dropoff with the Super Advanced and Master, but not a lot. I should be using the #2 for my workouts by March at this rate with the right hand.

Weird title, I know, but the definition I use for a "civil day" is setting 3 AM as the day change, since many people go to bed after midnight, and the early morning hours are in effect a part of peoples' previous day. Unlike the first of this year's Tuneup Tuesdays, this one is nowhere near as long, mainly because there was less that needed done, but a C- is hardly an ideal score. We'll see if there's improvement from that D+ on Wednesday in my "Thursday" workout.

Ring and Pinky Work

Closes with the Guide

RH: 12
LH: 12

Closes with the Sport

RH: 10
LH: 8

Closes with the IMTUG#5

1R. 5
1L. 4

2R. 6
2L. 4

Cooldown with the Sport (8 RH, 8 LH)

Grade: B

Post workout commentary: I was going to give this a B-, but the time was pretty decent, so that boosted this. Notice a substantial difference in the amount of reps done, especially with the left hand. And the grade may have been helped simply by the fact that there was less to grade. But still, my first above average workout of the year. Hope to have more good workouts.

Awesome.

I increased the standards, which I always do beyond the initial of each workout. Unfortunately, this workout was almost identical to last week's. There was one key difference, time. Last week I took too much time, this week I had good time, so that changed what would have been a D with the slightly stricter standards into a C/D. Now if I had last week's time, we'd be looking at a D/F here. I did it a day earlier than planned, but in retrospect, I should have waited until tomorrow.

Lifted the 15 lb anvil three times each hand by the horn, did wrist work

Pinch Block loaded to 35 lbs

1R. Lifted and held for 23 seconds
1L. FAILED

2R. Lifted and held for 32 seconds
2L. Lifted and held for a split second

3R. Lifted and held for 33 seconds
3L. Lifted and held for 16 seconds

Chest Crush with the BeefBuilder Elite

1. 7 reps, 6 clicked
2. 10 reps, 3 clicked
3. 5 reps, 1 clicked

Loaded the wrist roller to 22.5 lbs, did three sets with it

Grade: C/D

Post workout commentary: This was too similar to last week's for comfort. There was some improvement with the pinch block, though. I only had one failed (but the "split second" barely cleared the ground), and the third set was nice. The chest crushing dropped off a bit, strangely, the first set was technically the best, and the third the worst. Usually the reverse is true. The wrist roller I'm about on target with. But unlike last week, where I took much longer than I needed due to watching a movie while working out, this week I actually finished with good time. I had all the energy for a good workout, but the air was too heavy to get a good workout done. But any improvement is improvement, and I'll take it. Now, hopefully next week I'm more consistant with the pinch block and getting more done with the chest crush. Once I get to a total of at least 50 reps for three sets, it's time for the Super Elite. I'm quite a ways from there with only 22 attempted (and 10 made). But at least I'm making meaningful gripper progress.