The Workout 2024: Garage Gym

The garage gym, minus the bicycle trainer that I use in winter.

This is an update on my workout, which I posted about previously. After struggling with a shoulder impingement for a couple of years I started feeling normal again and ready to resume a more serious workout. I think the difference was taking collagen protein powder after any significant workout over the last year. It takes a while but it seems to work.

I've been watching the PatMac YouTube channel. The host is Pat MacNamara, a retired Army Delta Force operator and Green Beret. I don't agree with everything he says but his workout videos are inspirational and he is super disciplined. He works out with a "driveway gym." My driveway isn't suitable for a gym but I keep the garage floor swept, back the car out, and put down a mat, then do circuits. Since I don't really have much equipment for a circuit it is mostly calisthenics which I do in one place (on the mat), but what I mean is that rather than repeating sets of a single exercise I alternate through a list of exercises then repeat.

I like to play music and aim a fan at the workout space. We'll see how things go in the winter.

Tuesday:

1. Roll back on the yoga ball to stretch my spine end to end, takes about 2 minutes
2. Slow bench press, using the yoga ball as a bench 12 repetitions x 60 pounds
3. Toe touch, hold 25 seconds
4. Crunches 12 repetitions
5. Backlifts a.k.a. Supermans 2 x 10 seconds
6. side splits about 25 seconds
7. front splits both sides x 25 seconds

(repeat list x3, replace stretches with groin stretch, sitting toe touch, and "frog" stretch for roundhouse kick flexibility)

8. front carries and back carries alternating 12 reps x 60 pounds each. I've had trouble integrating these into the circuit due to using some of the same muscle groups so I do them separately.

(repeat until exhaustion)

9. Optional: alternating front curls 12 x 40 pounds

Wednesday: 

Cardio, usually a 3 mile run but sometimes bicycling 8 to 10 miles. Winter will usually be the bicycle trainer in the garage. About 40 to 45 minutes is all I can stand of stationary bicycling. I like to watch live sports if available. Unfortunately I'm down right now with an achilles tendon injury, a consequence of doing sprints. It's taking forever to heal so my only cardio is the heavy bag right now.

Friday:

1. Roll back on the yoga ball to stretch my spine end to end, takes about 2 minutes

2. pushups x 12

3. toe touch hold 25 seconds

4. double front leg lifts x 12

5. side splits x 25 seconds

6. front splits both sides x 25 seconds

7. back lifts twice x 10 seconds

8. groin stretch

9. frog stretch x 25 seconds for roundhouse kicks

10. punching bag straight punches both hands x 10

11. punching bag one-two (jab + straight punch) both hands x 10

12. front kicks (teeping) both legs x 10

13. hooks both hands x 10

14. roundhouse kicks both legs x 10

15. combinations until exhaustion or pain

16. (optional) experiment with other striking techniques like spinning kicks and backfist

I love the heavy punching bag. It's great fun. You just have to be careful to not injure your wrists or hands. There are techniques for that. I currently just slip on boxing gloves, pretty tight. I own wraps but haven't figured them out yet and they don't seem necessary. I intentionally do some punching without gloves or wraps on the odd days to get the best of both worlds: I hope to "condition" my hands and wrists for a real world fight scenario while using gloves to protect them for most of my punching.