The Path of The Lion

LionAlpha

LionAlpha

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Guardian from Kavala, Greece
Pronouns: He/Him
Posts: 116
Yesterday I finished Runner Prime. It was an excellent introduction to combining Running and Strength. The hybrid approach I was looking for. However, it is time to step up my strength goals while maintaining that hybrid approach. So I am considering doing strength programs that include pull-ups for full body strength development, alternating it in the form of one program day and one running day.

So! I'll start this journey with Spartan Trials. And I'll keep doing it over and over again until I go from Level I to max out Level III. I believe it will be a transformative experience!

This is the beginning of The Path of The Lion!
 
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LionAlpha

LionAlpha

Well-known member
Guardian from Kavala, Greece
Pronouns: He/Him
Posts: 116
Today's workout: Spartan Trials Day 1 - Level I :v:

Verdict: After deciding to follow a more intense approach for my strength gains, I believe starting Spartan Trials as a complete beginner from Level I was a wise choice. The workout literally kicked my butt by the end of set 1. By the end of set 2 I started being a bit dizzy (my mistake because I felt I shifted from one exercise to the other too fast). However, I pushed through and completed set 3.

It may hurt now, but it will turn into a satisfying smile later on.


 
LionAlpha

LionAlpha

Well-known member
Guardian from Kavala, Greece
Pronouns: He/Him
Posts: 116
Today's workout: Running - C25K W5D1 :v:
  • 5 min walk
  • 5 min run
  • 3 min walk
  • 5 min run
  • 3 min walk
  • 5 min run
  • 5 min walk
Verdict: A quick overview of my cardio training. I used to hate running. I was literally getting bored with the idea of running until I read about the benefits of training both for strength and endurance. And after all, we work towards complete fitness, don't we? So I decided to start the C25K program, and after I completed it, I started being able to run 5km. Slowly at first, a bit faster later on. I was really hyped about my progress. Until I got Covid in the middle of the summer. I was out for 2 full weeks, and when it was time to get back to training, I lost my stamina. The 5km started being tough again. So I am doing the C25K all over again, as a recovery process to get back to where I was.

 
LionAlpha

LionAlpha

Well-known member
Guardian from Kavala, Greece
Pronouns: He/Him
Posts: 116
Today's workout: NONE :p

Verdict: Today was a really full day. A family day. My parents had their 28-year anniversary, so all three of us went to a nice restaurant by the sea and afterward I went to visit my grandparents. I feel so full from food and drinks that I didn't have the energy to work out today. BUT! Tomorrow is a run day. So all good.

 
LionAlpha

LionAlpha

Well-known member
Guardian from Kavala, Greece
Pronouns: He/Him
Posts: 116
Today's workout: Running - C25K W5D2 :v:
  • 5 min walk
  • 8 min run
  • 5 min walk
  • 8 min run
  • 5 min walk
Verdict: Once again, the consecutive running time slowly increases. I try to adapt my pace according to the running time, so I won't have to stop to catch my breath. It definitely wasn't the "talkable pace" kind of run. If I started talking to someone, I would definitely have to stop. It was a really good workout with a good sweat.

 
LionAlpha

LionAlpha

Well-known member
Guardian from Kavala, Greece
Pronouns: He/Him
Posts: 116
Today's workout: Spartan Trials Day 3 :v:

Verdict: Today's workout was a love-to-hate-you relationship. I was so excited when I saw that I will be able to practice pull-ups (because I have 0 pull strength), so I decided to change the pull-ups to negative pull-ups. I felt kind of disappointed though because even with negative pull-ups, I was able to do 3 or 4 reps. And each rep was even faster because my arms felt super sore and tired almost immediately (biceps specifically). But that was also the positive side of the workout, the fact that I could feel the tension in my arms and chest. Hopefully, by the end of the program, I'll be strong enough to perform normal pull-ups.

 
LionAlpha

LionAlpha

Well-known member
Guardian from Kavala, Greece
Pronouns: He/Him
Posts: 116
Today's workout: Running - C25K W5D3 :v:
  • 5 min walk
  • 20 min run
  • 5 min walk
Verdict: Today's run was painful! The moment I started running, the upper body soreness from yesterday was so intense, it was like I was wearing weighted clothes. Chest, arms, lats. Just painful. However, I pushed through and managed to run 20 consecutive min. It was slow due to the pain and tiredness, but I still did it without stopping or walking. Mission accomplished.

 
LionAlpha

LionAlpha

Well-known member
Guardian from Kavala, Greece
Pronouns: He/Him
Posts: 116
Today's workout: Spartan Trials Day 5 :v:

Verdict: As you may have noticed I skipped Day 4. The reason is simple, I don't enjoy such workouts (yoga types or something, I apologize if I don't know the correct term), and I'll probably skip any similar workouts. Anyways. About Day 5. If there's anyone out there, saying that you can't have a proper leg day with just squats, then please share this workout with them. As you know, I'm doing the first run of the program on Level I. That's 3 sets of 50 squats. And 150 squats in total. It was the right amount to feel the burn and tension in the legs. I loved it, and I am pretty sure that I'll be sore tomorrow. Which means another painful run, but it's ok! I'll push through it again!


Dog Exercise GIF
 
LionAlpha

LionAlpha

Well-known member
Guardian from Kavala, Greece
Pronouns: He/Him
Posts: 116
Today's workout: Running - C25K W6D1 :v:
  • 5 min walk
  • 5 min run
  • 3 min walk
  • 8 min run
  • 3 min walk
  • 5 min run
  • 5 min walk
Verdict: Today was a night run. Later than I am used to, but I still went for it. My legs weren't sore after all, and the run was feeling better this time. Better flow, if you know what I mean. I really enjoyed it.

Area 51 Running GIF by MOODMAN
 
LionAlpha

LionAlpha

Well-known member
Guardian from Kavala, Greece
Pronouns: He/Him
Posts: 116
Today's workout: Running - C25K W6D2 :v:
  • 5 min walk
  • 10 min run
  • 3 min walk
  • 10 min run
  • 5 min walk
Verdict: It's been a while since I had that much of an energized run! And that's thanks to music. I may was born in 1995, but damn... 80s rock for the win for working out! This is the song that pumped me up a lot today:


Nothing Juggernaut GIF
 
Fremen

Fremen

Well-known member
Shaman from Italy
Posts: 4,228
"“Keep an eye on the staircases. They like to change.” Percy Weasley, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone."
In my case simply with perseverance, the hardest thing is to get to one good rep, then it's relatively downhill :)
@HellYeah can definitely give you more specific advice
 
JohnStrong

JohnStrong

Well-known member
Commando from Alberta
Posts: 639
"If not me, who? If not now, when?"
LionAlpha said:
How did you build up pull strength ?
Click to expand...
I'm now at pull-up level 0, so I have to restart my journey - but when I was up to around 10-15 reps, a big stepping stone for me was negative reps, i.e. jumping/heaving myself up to the top of the pull-up and lowering myself slowly down.

The bodyweightfitness reddit has some great information in their wiki on good pull-up progression.
 
LionAlpha

LionAlpha

Well-known member
Guardian from Kavala, Greece
Pronouns: He/Him
Posts: 116
Today's workout: Running - C25K W6D3 :v:
  • 5 min walk
  • 22 min run
  • 5 min walk
Verdict: Today was a tough day mentally. I got furious at work with my supervisor(I'm a Ph.D. Candidate), and I reached a point where I'm saying "2.5 more years and I won't have to rely on anyone afterward", just to remain strong. Then I got a call from a friend saying he got Covid positive. The moment I heard it, I started feeling symptoms all over me. I am pretty sure they are psychosomatic. I finished work around 19.30, and although I wasn't feeling like it and thought of playing it safe in case I am about to get sick, I just needed that run. I'm feeling so much better now. All the tension gone.

Dragon Ball Kefla GIF by Toei Animation
 
LionAlpha

LionAlpha

Well-known member
Guardian from Kavala, Greece
Pronouns: He/Him
Posts: 116
Today's workout: Running - C25K W7D2 :v:
  • 5 min walk
  • 25 min run
  • 5 min walk
Verdict: After an enjoyable day trip and good food, avoiding today's running workout was not an option. I really liked my performance today. Maybe not as fast as the Flash, but my pace was definitely controlled throughout the 25 min window. I really liked it.

In A Hurry Running GIF by Holly Logan
 
LionAlpha

LionAlpha

Well-known member
Guardian from Kavala, Greece
Pronouns: He/Him
Posts: 116
Thank you everyone for your wishes!! Really sorry for not updating my routine for the last week! Really busy and kept forgetting to write it down. I still do the alternation between running and strength. Today I am about to do Day 13 of Spartan Trials, but I think I'll skip the planks into lunges this time. I really hate them and even seeing them demotivates me haha.

Again thank you for your wishes! I'll try to be more consistent with my log!
Have a nice day!
 
LionAlpha

LionAlpha

Well-known member
Guardian from Kavala, Greece
Pronouns: He/Him
Posts: 116
Hey everyone! I wish you all a great 2023.

Yes, I wasn't consistent with my training. It's like after some time I get bored and look for something different. I got bored in the middle of Spartan Trials and changed it into high-volume bodyweight training. After a few months of using that approach again, I got bored and started looking back into Darebee. I don't know what to do :smash:

As I've said before I try to follow a hybrid style of training, running for cardio and endurance, and bodyweight training for muscle building and strength. However, it seems that I always end up feeling lost and don't know where to start. Any guidance on what to do is REALLY appreciated.

Thank you and have a nice day!
 
Fremen

Fremen

Well-known member
Shaman from Italy
Posts: 4,228
"“Keep an eye on the staircases. They like to change.” Percy Weasley, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone."
Happy New Year :fireworks:
 
LionAlpha

LionAlpha

Well-known member
Guardian from Kavala, Greece
Pronouns: He/Him
Posts: 116
I was wondering if I should continue this log in case I am not consistent again in recording my fitness journey...BUT I'M GONNA DO IT ANYWAY!

The story so far: I am currently doing the Hero's Journey and BPN's app running plan. I almost did half of the program up until Easter. But then I got really sick (for about 14+ days; worst blocked nose I ever had... anyway, all is well now), so I thought it would be wise to restart the program. Regarding the weapons part, I'm doing the sword (pull-ups) and hammer (resistance). I'm saying resistance because I replaced dumbbells with a set of resistance bands I purchased. In the future, I'll try out any program utilizing weights by replacing them with bands and see how that goes. I'll also restart the running plan next week. I'm thinking of starting slow and alternating one program day with one running day (1 strength + 1 run), and if I feel more energized all over again, I might turn it into double workouts again (morning run + afternoon strength).

Today's workout: Hero's Journey Day 11 :v:
I kind of adapted it. I did a Level III (10 sets), but instead of jump squats I did regular squats, because my calves still hurt from doing 200 jump squats the other day.
 
LionAlpha

LionAlpha

Well-known member
Guardian from Kavala, Greece
Pronouns: He/Him
Posts: 116
Today's workout: Hero's Journey Day 12 :v:
Originally, the workout was focused on stretching and yoga poses. I adapted it according to four exercises that my physiotherapist told me to do a couple of months ago. Long story short, I had intense back pain for a couple of weeks. At first I thought it was an injury during a workout, but then she told me that it was due to the long hours of my desk job, even though I was training normally. The result was a tight spine reaching down to the hamstrings (I think?). The exercises are the following:

Cat Cow - 3 sets of 10 reps
Knee Plank Rotations - 3 sets of 10 reps per side
Child's Pose - 3 sets of 20 sec (both normal and side)
Standing Forward Bend with wall assistance - 3 sets of 20 sec
 
LionAlpha

LionAlpha

Well-known member
Guardian from Kavala, Greece
Pronouns: He/Him
Posts: 116
Today's workout: Hero's Journey Day 14 :v:
Honestly, today I wanted to go for a run and start my running plan again by alternating it with the program days. But the weather is unstable, so I proceeded with Day 14. It's a martial arts workout anyways, so it was a good cardio replacement.
 
LionAlpha

LionAlpha

Well-known member
Guardian from Kavala, Greece
Pronouns: He/Him
Posts: 116
Today's workout: Hero's Journey Day 20 :v:
Kind of disappointed because I really wanted to go for my Tempo run workout. But the weather ruined it once again. Is it that unstable in your end as well, or just in Greece? I did the program's workout instead.
 
LionAlpha

LionAlpha

Well-known member
Guardian from Kavala, Greece
Pronouns: He/Him
Posts: 116
Ιt seems I missed yesterday's check-in.

Yesterday's workout: Tempo Run :v:
1 mile easy run for a warm up
10 rounds of 20 sec Zone 4, followed by 1 min Zone 2
1 mile easy run for cool down

Today's workout: Hero's Journey Day 21 :v:
Plus Sword (pull-ups), and Hammer (resistance bands)
 
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