Could I Have Made It?

AFL Cancelling 2009 season?

2008-12-10T18:57:00.003-08:00

I've written about this here on my blog. Insane.

The Tryouts and the Aftermath and whatnots

2008-11-24T22:15:00.000-08:00

So, I'm going to go ahead and answer the question that I posed in the title of this blog (and in the URL), "Could I Have Made It?"

Possibly. But not now.

The tryouts were tough this year - much, much tougher than last year, for either of the teams I tried out for. There were over 500 guys at this tryout, and in my group of 25 alone there were 2 ex-NFL guys, an ex-AFL guy, an ex-CFL guy, 3 recently graduated college players from Clemson, 2 from Alabama, and a guy from UNC, all of which were trying out for offensive lineman.

To put it simply, I was outclassed.

Now, that's not to say I went out there and proceeded to shove my thumb up my butt and dance to the soundtrack to A Chorus Line. I went out there and posted my lowest times in the 40-yard dash (5.4 seconds) and short shuttle (5.01 seocnds) since high school. I worked snapping drills and hand drills and position drills. I stood a bunch of defensive rushers up and I took a lot of hits. The offensive line coach even came up to me and said it was great seeing me out there again.

But I definitely think there's better talent to be had than my 31-year-old Vince-Papalli-wannabe self.

When I left the tryouts, I felt pretty down. I felt like I'd let myself down and looked pretty bad compared to the guys I was with. But a lot of guys came up to me afterward and patted me on the back and complimented my effort. A couple asked where I played college ball, or if I played still. And five - count 'em, five - guys came up to me and asked "Hey, are you the YouTube guy?" and said they loved the videos and that I'd spurned them on to come out to the tryout and give it a shot.

But it's only now, after two days of really analyzing it, that any of this has sunk in. Immediatley after the tryout, all I could think was "Well, it's over, and I'm definitely not making it this year." And all I could think about Sunday while watching football with Mike was that I squandered my my chance to be out on that field professionally when I walked off the field and turned my back on football in high school.

But sitting here, right now, listening to a little Duke Ellington and icing down my ankles (both of which have been ballooned up since the tryout), I am calmer and more rational, and I think that I gave my best effort possible. I couldn't have trained harder, and I couldn't have learned any more about the game, and I couldn't have picked up any more techniques, and I couldn't have worked with any better coaches and ex-players.

I did my best. My real, honest to God best. And I'll probably not make it this year, and that's alright - because I did what I went out there to do. I tested myself.

I have to say it again, because it just seems like words unless I really, really call attention to this fact: I tested myself. I put myself to the test. I analyzed my capabilities, I scored the metrics, and I improved on every single one of them - to the point where I could compete and hang with a group of guys who have played professionally and for the past 5 years at the college level.

I tested myself. And I passed.

And I'm damn proud of that.

Will I try again next year? Probably not. I haven't decided if I'm going to hang up my cleats and go for something else, or if I'll play for some of the semi-pro and sub-pro teams that took my name down and said they'd call. Hell, there's even an outside chance that, come January 9th, I'll get that call from the Georgia Force and head off to camp... But probably not. And probably not with the semi-pro teams, and probably not with the sub-pro arena teams. I've come what I came to do, and it's probably time for a new challenge... Who knows, I used to be quite the Judo player, maybe I'll jump into and conquer the MMA world and get a clothing brand named after me, with lightning bolts and grunge Photoshop brush graphics. I'll name it Peacockshun, and it'll appear in old english font across the chest, and kids everywhere will buy the decals and put them on their trucks.

Or, maybe I'll just stick to writing, and keep working out because it feels good.

Nah, probably not that, because I suck at keeping up with things unless I have a larger goal in mind. Maybe windsurfing or full-contact trampolining. Or chess. Who knows.

Whatever it is, you can expect a bunch of retarded YouTube videos chock full of ill-fitting music and silly quick-cuts. And of course, the Batman mask:

One thing I know I'll definitely be doing: I've received a ton of email about the "How Football Saved My Life" article and the "Beginner's Guide to the Gym" article, and it's made me VERY happy to hear so many people took my words as inspiration and began exercising. So I've decided to make a real, no-nonsense guide for real people on real ways to build strength and get fit. I'm not a California beach-body guy, but I think that's really the point - I think people get discouraged when they see these tanned, chiseled bodies, thinking "If that's fit, I'll NEVER get there, so why bother?"

That's not fit. That's not even natural. It's a special class of people who have the luxury of working out all day, who can afford $500-an-hour trainers and designer foods and supplements.

No, that's just obsessive. Fit is fit - and I think I'd like to teach people how to get that way. So we'll see how that goes. Either way, you'll be seeing my ugly mug soon. Count on that.

Silence!

2008-11-15T12:40:00.000-08:00

I probably should have mentioned this earlier:

I'm not posting here right now for a very good reason, but I cannot tell you what the very good reason is until later. Not sure how much later, but later. But it's a good reason.

I will say this:

Georgia Force tryouts are November 22nd, 2008. I am about 30% stronger in every category I can imagine from this time last year, and have shaved a full second off of my shuttle drill and half a second off my 40 yard dash. I have worked technique drills for a year now.

I will let you know how it goes, and what the reason is, after that :)

Season 2 - Video 2 - Day 24

2008-08-25T09:06:00.000-07:00

So, I shot some video of one of my workouts last week, and while I was laid up with the back injury, I cut it together for your viewing pleasure stuff. I really enjoyed doing this one, mostly because I just love the kitch factor.

(Note - I switched this to Vimeo, because YouTube - for whatever stupid reason - muted the audio on the video, even though the copyrights were cleared.)

Could I Have Made It - Season 2, Day 25 (Workout Program) from joe peacock on Vimeo.

I hope you enjoy :)

Season 2 - Day 24

2008-08-24T08:50:00.000-07:00

So, you'll notice the severe lack of updates this week.

I don't know where, how or why, but my back began spasming on Wednesday. I didn't do anything during my workout (or at least I don't think i did), all I know is that I laid down Wednesday evening and woke up about midnight with some pains. When I got up Thursday, there was a pretty nice twinge in the middle of my back, which got worse and worse during the day.

It wasn't like a pulled muscle - I could bend a certain way with no pain, then do the exact same movement and *twinge*. I visited the massage therapist Thursday afternoon, and she did a LOT of good, but it wasn't "fixed". I've been resting the past few days, and at this point, it feels sore... Like I had a really intense workout and now my muscles are tired and tight.

I'm taking this as a positive development, in that there's no more spasms and no more twinges. Just some aching and tightness.

I'll resume working out tomorrow, and I'll be taking it somewhat easy, working back into my regemin.

Season 2 - Day 19

2008-08-19T11:43:00.000-07:00

Today's Notes:

Today, I get to work out with an ex-NFL lineman, Duwane (I forget his last name). He played with Tampa Bay last year, and is taking this year off. He lifts at my gym during the summers and offseason, and I've spoken with him a bunch about what I'm up to and whatnot - he's helped me a few times, and today he worked one on one with me on some line drills (head position, hand position, firing off in stance). It was pretty great.

Today's workout was about 3 hours.

****************************************

The Workouts:
(You can read descriptions for all of these exercises here)

Morning Session (weights + drills + cardio)

Pullups - 3 sets x 15 reps
Iso Upper Row - 3 sets x 20 reps @ 360 lbs
Iso Flat Row - 3 sets x 20 reps @ 360 lbs
Iso Lower Back Row - 3 sets x 20 reps @ 310 lbs
Dumbbell bent-over Lat Pull Row - 3 sets x 15 reps @ 120lbs (each hand)
Shrugs - 4 sets x 15 reps @ 455lbs
Lat Pulldowns - 3 sets x 50 reps @ 130lbs (front), 3 sets x 30 reps @ 130 reps (back)
Stair Run - 40
Technique drills - I don't even know what to call them, but there were 5 of them 1-on-1 with Duwane for about 30 mins
Pushups - 100 flat, 100 "diamond", 100 elevated (feet on bench)
45 mins on Elliptical (interval hill program, level 15)

************

HOW I FEEL:

Pretty great. Got to hang out with Duwane a while, he worked on some technique with me for a while.

I feel really confident about this season.

Season 2 - Video 1 - Trailer thingy

2008-08-18T17:27:00.000-07:00

I felt like cutting together some footage, since I haven't uploaded any video yet and it's been like 2 weeks since I started posting. So I did this:

Enjoy :)

Season 2 - Day 17

2008-08-17T17:47:00.000-07:00

Today's Notes:

Shot some film today - that was fun. In order to get the first actual video done, I did one of every exercise I do in any workout.

I am exhausted beyond comprehension.

Today's workout was 3.5 hours.

****************************************

The Workouts:
(You can read descriptions for all of these exercises here)

Morning Session (weights + drills + cardio)

Not even going to bother listing them all. Go back and read every other post, look at each exercise, and I did one of each of those.

************

HOW I FEEL:

Like I got a great workout in. First time I've ever done something like this. I'm worried about tomorrow's repercussions, but hey, at least I made up for a shitty week last week.

Season 2 - Day 16

2008-08-16T08:41:00.000-07:00

Today's Notes:

I was supposed to get up, go to the gym, get my session in, and then go help some friends of mine out on a movie they're working on.

Instead, I woke up about 30 times throughout the night, finally settling down about 5 AM, only to sleep through my 9 AM alarm.

Roy's going to kick my ass on Monday.

Today's workout was about absolute shit.

****************************************

The Workouts:
(You can read descriptions for all of these exercises here)

Morning Session (weights + drills + cardio)

4 mile run.

Wooo.

************

HOW I FEEL:

Lame. At least I did the run. And I did clean the house, which - if you saw how bad the house was - you'd know was a great workout. But whatever, it's still lame.

This week kinda sucked.

Season 2 - Day 15

2008-08-15T10:32:00.000-07:00

Today's Notes:

Even though I skipped a day, I went ahead and took yesterday off. Because I needed it.

Hopefully I won't get punished again, but I shouldn't, since it's my regular day off.

Today's workout was about 2 hours.

****************************************

The Workouts:
(You can read descriptions for all of these exercises here)

Morning Session (weights + drills + cardio)

Squat Jump (ground-to-bench) - 3 sets x 20 reps
One-leg Step Up (ground-to-bench) - 3 sets x 20 reps @ 55lbs in each hand (110lbs)
Deadlift (stiff leg)- 2 sets x 15 reps, 1 set x 10 reps - 315lbs first and second set, 405lbs third set
Deadlift with bent knees - 3 sets x 10 reps @ 405lbs
Power Clean - 3 sets x 10 reps @ 225lbs
Dumbbell Snatch - 3 sets x 20 lbs @ 55lbs
Stair Run - 30
Sprint Laps - 5 (1/10th of a mile each lap)
45 mins on Elliptical (interval hill program, level 15)

************

HOW I FEEL:

We trimmed out the drills today because Roy had to leave.

I should punish him the way he punished me for slacking... Only, I didn't mind. At all.

You know what sucks? I haven't done chest or triceps in a week. I'm not used to that. It's a strange thing that, in weightlifting, you get to a point where you prefer - even love - certain exercises. With me, chest and triceps have always been the "goto" workout. When I'd take a month or 3 months or... like... 5 years off from the gym, I'd always start back with chest and triceps.

But I'm definitely noticing the gains in the legs and back. It's been 8 months of steady gain, and I'm lifting weights I never imagined I'd ever be able to lift in dead lift, power clean, and whatnot. When I was hitting the sled a while back, I could see definite improvement in moving it, but I wonder what it's like now.

I think that's why Roy's backing off of them. I'm pretty straight in that arena, I need work elsewhere.

Season 2 - Day 13

2008-08-13T11:24:00.000-07:00

Today's Notes:

Murrrrr.... BRAINNNNNSSSSSS...

(Get it? I'm a Zombie, because I'm so absolutely braindead after this morning's workout. It's funny. That's why Penguin pays me the big bucks to be a writer)

Today's workout was about 3 hours.

****************************************

The Workouts:
(You can read descriptions for all of these exercises here)

Morning Session (weights + drills + cardio)

Pullups - 3 sets x 15 reps
Iso Upper Row - 3 sets x 20 reps @ 360 lbs
Iso Flat Row - 3 sets x 20 reps @ 360 lbs
Iso Lower Back Row - 3 sets x 20 reps @ 310 lbs
Dumbbell bent-over Lat Pull Row - 3 sets x 15 reps @ 120lbs (each hand)
Shrugs - 3 sets x 20 reps @ 405lbs
Lat Pulldowns - 3 sets x 50 reps @ 130lbs (front), 3 sets x 30 reps @ 130 reps (back)
Stair Run - 10
Hurdles - High Step x 10
Hurdles - shuffle step hop x 10
Ladder - crossover shuffle step x 10
Punch Drill - 3 minutes x 5 sets (sucks!)
Duck Walk - 5 laps (1/10th mile per lap)
Isometric Squat (no weight, just body weight) - 3 sets x 150 reps
Pushups - 100 flat, 100 "diamond", 100 elevated (feet on bench)
45 mins on Elliptical (interval hill program, level 15)

************

HOW I FEEL:

I got home at 9:00pm yesterday after about 3 and a half hours of working out. I then got up at 6:00AM today to go do another 3 hours.

You tell me.

Season 2 - Day 12

2008-08-12T22:20:00.000-07:00

Today's Notes:

I rolled in about 3 AM yesterday after picking up Mike, driving by the Bengals' facility (they wouldn't let us in), and taking him home. So, I skipped my workout yesterday morning.

To add to the crime, I didn't go this morning, opting instead to go in the evening (because I had an early morning meeting I had to attend for a client).

So, I got punished. Like, Guantanamo punished.

Missing a day is a no-no. And that really screws with me, since I've already paid for that day, it's mine to do with what I want... Nope. Not with Roy, it's not.

He beat the crap out of me.

Today's workout was about 3.5 hours.

****************************************

The Workouts:
(You can read descriptions for all of these exercises here)

Morning Session (weights + drills + cardio)

Leg Press - 50 (first set) @ 450lbs, 40 (second set) @ 540lbs, 30 (third set) @ 630 lbs
SUPERSET with stair run - 10 reps between each set (30 stair runs total)
High-stepup (ground-to-bench) - 20 each leg, with 70lb dumbbells in each hand
SUPERSET with stair run - 8 reps between each set (24 stair runs total)
Leg Extension - 50 (first set) @ 190lbs, 40 (second set) @ 205lbs, 30 (third set) @ 220 lbs
SUPERSET with Leg Curl - 50 (first set) @ 220lbs, 40 (second set) @ 235lbs, 30 (third set) @ 250 lbs
Hamstring Iso Leg Press - 50 (first set) @ 450lbs, 40 (second set) @ 540lbs, 30 (third set) @ 630 lbs
SUPERSET with Calf Press (toe extension) - 50 (first set) @ 450lbs, 40 (second set) @ 540lbs, 30 (third set) @ 630 lbs
Power Squat (Deadlift with bent knees) - 3 sets x 10 reps - 285lbs first set, 315lbs second set, 365lbs third set
SUPERSET with stair run - 6 reps between each set (18 stair runs total)
Sprint Laps - 5 (1/10th of a mile each lap)
Punch Drill @ 2 mins x 3
Ladder Drill - studder-step x 10
Ladder Drill - sidestep x 10
Ladder Drill - one-foot x 10
Ladder Drill - High-step x 10
Hurdles - shuffle step hop x 10
Wall Sits - 2:00 min x 3
3 mile run (treadmill)

************

HOW I FEEL:

I will never miss another day again. I will never miss another day again. I will never miss another day again. I will never miss another day again. I will never miss another day again. I will never miss another day again. I will never miss another day again. I will never miss another day again. I will never miss another day again. I will never miss another day again. I will never miss another day again. I will never miss another day again...

Season 2 - Day 10

2008-08-10T08:10:00.000-07:00

Today's Notes:

I had to rush through this morning's session. Again, I tried to keep my resting periods very low to keep the heart rate up, but given the amount of grilled beef and bourbon I have ingested while here (much more beef than bourbon, but hey, it all counts against you), I can feel my body screaming at me to go run some of the cholesterol out of my veins.

Alas, it'll have to settle with a back series, and work double-time when I get home.

Today's workout was about 40 minutes.

****************************************

The Workouts:
(You can read descriptions for all of these exercises here)

Morning Session (weights + drills + cardio)

Pullups - 3 sets x 15 reps (all by myself! AGAIN! WHEEEEE)
Iso Upper Row - 3 sets x 20 reps @ 345 lbs
SUPERSET with Straight Bar Curl - 3 sets x 20 reps @ 100lbs
Iso Flat Row - 3 sets x 20 reps @ 345 lbs
SUPERSET with Dumbbell Hammer Curl - 3 sets x 20 reps @ 55lbs (each hand)
Iso Lower Back Row - 3 sets x 20 reps @ 325 lbs
SUPERSET with Cable 1-Handed Iso Curl - 3 sets x 20 reps @ 45lbs

************

HOW I FEEL:

It's really frustrating not being able to hit the road or do drills, but hey, bourbon.

I have to go pick up my friend Mike from his parents' place near Cincinnati, then head home. It might be a late night. On the way, I'm going to visit the Cincinnati Bengals' training camp - it's right up 75 from where I'm going, so I figure what the hell.

Season 2 - Day 9

2008-08-09T10:02:00.000-07:00

Today's Notes:

In Kentucky for work. It's always hard to find a good place to work out on the road - fortunately, I've been here a few times before and made the mistakes of trusting Garmin to tell me where to go.

So, I could go to the hi-tech, brand new Lexington Athletic Center, where everything is bright and shiny and new, or I could opt for the lo-fi Glenn Ford's Fitness Center, which was built in 1893 to train horses to move hay around or some shit.

I'm going for Ford's, because something in me just needs to hear the clank and clatter of old iron rattling around, instead of rubber-coated plates sliding on machined cylinders.

Today's workout was about 50 mins.

****************************************

The Workouts:
(You can read descriptions for all of these exercises here)

Morning Session (weights + drills + cardio)

Bench Press - 4 sets: 1 set x 20 reps @ 135lbs, 1 set x 15 reps @ 315lbs, 1 set x 20 reps @285lbs, 1 set x 30 reps @ 225lbs
SUPERSET with Tricep Pushdown: 3 sets x 20 reps @ 155lbs

Decline Bench Press - 3 sets x 20 reps @ 285lbs
SUPERSET with One-hand Reverse Tricep Curl - 3 sets x 25 reps @55lbs

Incline Bench Press - 3 sets x 20 reps @ 285lbs
SUPERSET with Overhead Tricep Curl - 3 sets x 25 reps @155lbs

Cable Pectoral Flys - 3 sets UPPER x 15 reps @ 65lbs, 3 sets LOWER x 15 reps @65lbs (upper + lower superset into same set)

Dips - 3 sets x 30 reps
************

HOW I FEEL:

Meh. Working out on the road sucks, period. But the gym I was at was so lo-fi, it felt like old-school workout videos we used to watch when I was in high school... Like I was Rocky, training with sandbags and chains and shit. It was kinda neat, actually.

I didn't get to run or do any cardio, so I just sped up my session so that I was resting about 20 seconds max between sets. It worked, my heart was pumping like crazy during the workout. When you can't get everything you want, sometimes you just make what you can get, work.

I have no idea if that comma is supposed to go there or not. It feels like I needed a pause there, but it feels kinda odd. I know the common mindset is "when in doubt, leave it out" but meh, I'll do what I want, cause it's my blog, so, like, whatever man.

Season 2 - Day 8

2008-08-08T08:49:00.000-07:00

Today's Notes:

It's so strange - I used to LOVE days off from the gym. But over time, your mind and your body grow to love the exertion. Even when it's painful and it sucks, when you go an entire day without doing anything, your body almost demands to go outside and run and collide into things. I can't explain it, except to say yesterday was a very "fidgety" day for me.

Today, I'm driving to Kentucky for work, so my workout is a bit abbreviated... Mostly cardio / conditioning work.

Today's workout was about 2 hours.

****************************************

The Workouts:
(You can read descriptions for all of these exercises here)

Morning Session (weights + drills + cardio)

Dumbbell Dead Lift - 20 x 3 @ 130 lbs each hand (260lbs)
Dumbbell Snatch (yes, haha, i said snatch) - 20 (first set), 15 (second set), 10 (third set) @ 50lbs, 55 lbs, 60 lbs (respectively)
Leg Press - 20 (first set), 15 (second set), 10 (third set) @ 870lbs, 1050lbs, 1230lbs (respectively)
Seated Squat - 15 x 3 @ 405lbs
Ladder Drill - studder-step x 10
Ladder Drill - sidestep x 10
Hurdles - High Step x 10
Hurdles - shuffle step hop x 10
Stair run - 30 (15 x 2 stairs at a time, 15 x 1 stair at a time)
30 mins on Elliptical (interval hill program, level 15)

************

HOW I FEEL:

The 7 hour drive ahead of me suddenly looks even less attractive now that my legs are all tight and mealy.

Inspiration: other average-to-athlete folks

2008-08-06T14:51:00.000-07:00

Some good friends of mine who follow this project pointed me to some other folks doing similiar stuff.

Chris sent me a link to 2 average athletes attempting 5 olympic events - it's a really neat insight to the difference between the average athlete and a full-time dedicated sponsored person who pursues physical excellence.

Amy sent me a link to an average woman who decided to be an Olympic triathlete - quite an engaging and awesome story. I've linked the last article in the series, but you owe it to yourself to read them all.

Finally, Martin sent me to Stefan Fastis's site. Stefan is a 43 year old Wall Street Journal reporter who trained and played with the Denver Broncos as a place kicker.

Awesome reading, all.

Season 2 - Day 6

2008-08-06T14:38:00.000-07:00

Today's Notes:

I hate.

At least this morning I got to sleep in until 7:00AM. That was nice. But the workout wasn't. It wasn't even my trainer's fault... He had a death in the family, and couldn't make it, so it was on me to push myself today. I had help from Marcus and Ralph, two guys I work out with on occasion.

I hate Marcus and Ralph now.

Today's workout was about 3 hours.

****************************************

The Workouts:
(You can read descriptions for all of these exercises here)

Morning Session (weights + drills + cardio)

Dumbbell Incline Bench Press + Fly (superset) - 50 (first set), 40 (second set), 30 (third set) @ 75 lbs each hand (150lbs)
Dumbbell Flat Bench - 50 (first set) @ 75lbs, 40 (second set) @85lbs, 30 (third set) @ 95 lbs each hand (150lbs, 170lbs, 190lbs)
Incline Bench Press (machine) - 15 @ 280 lbs, 12 @ 310 lbs, 10 @ 320 lbs
Decline Bench Press (machine) - 15 @ 360 lbs, 12 @ 410 lbs, 10 @ 460 lbs
"21" Curl (straight bar) - 3 sets @ 75lbs
Iso Curl Cable (one hand) - 3 sets x 15 reps @ 47.5lbs
Iso Curl Machine (preacher) - 3 sets each hand individually x 15 reps @ 90 lbs, then both hands @ 190lbs
Iso Pectoral Fly machine - 3 sets x 20 @ 290lbs
Punch Drill @ 2 mins x 3
Ladder Drill - studder-step x 10
Ladder Drill - sidestep x 10
Ladder Drill - one-foot x 10
Hurdles - shuffle step hop x 10
Wall Sits - 2:00 min x 3
Stair run - 10
45 mins on Elliptical (interval hill program, level 15)

************

HOW I FEEL:

Actually kinda sore. Yesterday beat the living crap out of me - I think that moving to a split-day session is going to end up being the sane thing to do in the long run, but for now, I'm being told to stick with double-length sessions.

But this is nowhere near as bad as I felt this time last year, that's for sure.

Season 2 - Day 5

2008-08-05T16:51:00.000-07:00

Today's Notes:

Okay, this "stacking two-a-days into one workout" thing is killing me. I'm going to kill someone because I'm being killed. I mean, it's great and all, and I'm glad I'm training, and I feel great that I'm not only surviving but doing well... But still. This shit is INTENSE.

And I thought I'd been hitting it hard the past few months...

Today's workout was about 3.5 hours.

****************************************

The Workouts:
(You can read descriptions for all of these exercises here)

Morning Session (weights + drills + cardio)

Leg Press - 50 (first set) @ 450lbs, 40 (second set) @ 540lbs, 30 (third set) @ 630 lbs
High-stepup - 20 each leg, with 50lb dumbbells in each hand
Leg Extension - 50 (first set) @ 190lbs, 40 (second set) @ 205lbs, 30 (third set) @ 220 lbs
Leg Curl - 50 (first set) @ 220lbs, 40 (second set) @ 235lbs, 30 (third set) @ 250 lbs
Calf Press - 3 sets x 50 @630lbs
Hamstring Iso Leg Press - 50 (first set) @ 450lbs, 40 (second set) @ 540lbs, 30 (third set) @ 630 lbs
Deadlift - 3 sets x 10 reps - 285lbs first set, 315lbs second set, 365lbs third set
Power Squat (Deadlift with bent knees) - 3 sets x 10 reps - 285lbs first set, 315lbs second set, 365lbs third set
Stair Run - 30
Sprint Laps - 5 (1/10th of a mile each lap)
Punch Drill @ 2 mins x 3
Ladder Drill - studder-step x 10
Ladder Drill - sidestep x 10
Ladder Drill - one-foot x 10
Ladder Drill - High-step x 10
Hurdles - shuffle step hop x 10
Wall Sits - 2:00 min x 3
45 mins on Elliptical (interval hill program, level 15)

************

HOW I FEEL:

Like jello.

I hate my trainer, Roy. I hate his sadistic horrible training. I hate that I pay money to go through it.

Actually, I just hate being a total puss.

Season 2 - Day 4

2008-08-04T18:35:00.000-07:00

Today's Notes:

So, Roy Carr (my trainer) has told me that we won't be doing actual 2-a-day workouts until September. He wants me to ramp up the workouts by sticking what I'd do in both workouts into one gigantic cataclysmic workout full of hellpain.

And so that's what we did today. And I hate it. I hate him. I hate everything in the world. I wish I had a baseball bat the size of New Jersey so I could beat the shit out of this planet.

Today's workout was about 2.5 hours.

****************************************

The Workouts:
(You can read descriptions for all of these exercises here)

Morning Session (weights + drills + cardio)

Shrugs - 3 sets x 20 reps @ 405lbs
Dumbbell bent-over Lat Pull Row - 3 sets x 15 reps @ 120lbs (each hand)
Pullups - 3 sets x 15 reps (all by myself! New Milestone!)
Iso Upper Row - 3 sets x 20 reps @ 360 lbs
Iso Flat Row - 3 sets x 20 reps @ 360 lbs
Iso Lower Back Row - 3 sets x 20 reps @ 310 lbs
Dumbbell Power Clean (one hand) - 3 sets x 20 reps @55lbs
Power Clean - 3 sets x 10 reps @ 225lbs (New Milestone!)
Stair Run - 20
Punch Drill @ 2 mins x 3
Ladder Drill - studder-step x 10
Ladder Drill - sidestep x 10
Ladder Drill - High-step x 10
Hurdles - shuffle step hop x 10
Wall Sits - 2:00 min x 3
Medicine Ball Toss - 3 sets x 20 reps @ 12lb
45 mins on Elliptical (interval hill program, level 15)

************

HOW I FEEL:

... I don't have words. I am STILL breathing somewhat hard, after driving home.

What the HELL is wrong with Roy? Why is he doing this to me? What did I do to him???

Season 2 - Day 3

2008-08-03T14:35:00.000-07:00

Today's Notes:

Took it somewhat easy, still a bit burnt from helping my Mother-In-Law move yesterday. That was a HUGE day... About 8 hours of moving shit, with only a 40 minute break to drive to the new house. It was an intense day, in 94 degree heat.

So I went back to my tried-and-true stack-set chest day today. Been a while since I did this, but it felt good to see just how much I've improved over what I used to do on this exact same routine a year ago.

Today's workout was about 1.5 hours.

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Season 2 - Day 1

2008-08-01T21:34:00.000-07:00

Today's Notes:

First day of posting, but definitely not the first day of working out. This will be the first day that I actually hit the field and work specifically on drills for football, though, so it counts as Day 1.

Roy (my trainer) wants to step things up on Monday, but I decided to get a jump on things and go ahead and work my ass off today anyway. I won't be able to work out tomorrow, since I'm helping my Mother-In-Law move. I'm such a good son-in-law, right?

Today's workout was 1.5 hours.

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The Workouts:
(You can read descriptions for all of these exercises here)

Morning Session (weights)

Leg Press - 3 sets x 50 @ 450lbs
High-stepup - 15 each leg, with 50lb dumbbells in each hand
Leg Extension - 3 sets x 30 @ 220 lbs
Leg Curl - 3 sets x 30 @ 250 lbs
Calf Press - 3 sets x 50 @ 630lbs
Power Squat (Deadlift with bent knees) - 3 sets x 10 reps - 285lbs first set, 315lbs second and third set
Stair Run - 30
Treadmill - 30 minute run

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Evening Session (Football Field):

50 yard sprints x 10
15 yard shuffle drill x 10
"L" drill x 10
Duck Walk x 100 yards
Punch Drill x 100

HOW I FEEL:

Not bad. Nice to get back in the grass and play a bit. I can tell you that this year is WAY different than last year... By a fairly wide margin. I feel so much stronger and aware than I was last year. It's insane to compare now to then... I just can't believe how far I've come.

Season 2 - Day 0

2008-07-31T17:30:00.001-07:00

Well hi!

It's that time of year, I suppose. The last day of July... Time to start training for football season. Time to get serious about experimenting with the idea of whether or not I could make it to a professional football team.

But I've got a surprise for you! I've already started! Or rather, should I say... I never stopped!

After hearing back from the Force and the Storm last year, I felt encouraged. I felt like I had proven to myself that, with training and determination, I was able to show two professional teams that I was at least a contender for a spot - and maybe, if I hadn't stopped playing for 12 years, I could have gone on to do some pretty cool stuff in the sport.

So, instead of just shrugging it off and moving on with life, I decided to step it up a bit.

I hired a trainer - Roy Carr, a trainer to professional athletes, specializing in football conditioning. Roy moved to my area of town around January and began operating out of my gym, after retiring from the NFL as a fitness and technique coach. We got to talking, and he agreed to take me on.

In the course of my training, I've had the honor to work with several former NFL linemen who work out at my gym (I'll name names later, if they allow me to). I've dedicated myself to a rigorous weights and fitness program, incorporating cross training, power lifting, technique and speed drills, and - funny enough - not much cardio training. Apparently, cardio starts in earnest about 6 weeks before you begin training camp, which is about... Oh, right now.

Some of you who read this thing might have seen the pictures I posted in my checking in post. But to add some statistics to the pics:

October 27th, 2007	July 31, 2008
Weight: 305lbs Body fat: 29% Shoulders: 52" Chest: 44" Thigh: 19" Calf: 16" Neck:18" Bicep: 16" Waist: 52" (size 46 pants)	Weight: 312lbs Body fat: 21% Shoulders: 60" Chest: 54" Thigh: 25" Calf: 18.5" Neck:20" Bicep: 19" Waist: 44" (size 40 pants)

As you can see, all the muscley parts have gotten bigger, while the fat around my gut has diminished.

The amount of weight I can lift now is far beyond anything I've achieved in my life thus far. I now lift more on every single exercise than I did at the younger peak of my training by about 33% (I hate naming numbers, because it sounds so dickish... Just watch my workout logs when I post them if you're that curious).

I am taking this year VERY seriously.

Starting August 1st (tomorrow), I'm onto 2-a-day workouts. I will be lifting weights for an hour (and some minutes) for the first workout, then doing football-related drills and exercises at the 2nd workout. I'll be drilling offensive lineman techniques almost exclusively (instead of doing general football drills like I did last year).

I am going to go out on a limb here. Last year, I was curious as to whether or not I could make the team, viewing this whole thing as an experiment. This year... It's a mission. I am GOING to make a team. Even if it's not a pro team, I'll play for AF2 or AIFL (I was invited to try out for a number of AF2 and AIFL teams last year after the AFL tryouts, but couldn't afford to play football for little / no money... This year, I've put money away specificaly for that reason).

I am GOING to play football for a pro team this year.

I hope.

Just a little checking in...

2008-03-16T22:23:00.000-07:00

So hi! Long time since I've updated this little blog. Just wanted to poke my head in and say hi.

Which is what I've done. SO... Uh... Seems I'm done here.

WAIT! No, I've got something else. I wanted to let you know what I've been up to and whatnot. Soooo... I've not been doing much in the way of specific football-related training, but I have been working out and training quite hard since December. On the advice of the offensive coordinator for the Georgia Force, I began a workout routine which focuses a bit less on long distance cardio and raw burst strength and instead began working interval training and higher rep, higher set count routines.

The results so far:

December 24, 2007:

March 11, 2008:

This picture absolutely blew my mind.

I look at myself in the mirror every morning when I shave my face and get dressed. I know on a fact-based level that I've had to cut three brand new notches in my belt and have gone down from a 44 to a 40 in pants (probably a 38, but I just don't have it in my wallet to go buy yet more new pants). But I don't know... It wasn't until one of the trainers at my gym snapped this photo and sent it to me that it hit me just how much work has been done.

He told me that often times, people don't realize what they've done until they see a picture. I guess the mirror doesn't hold in it the connotation that others can see the same image and pass judgment, whereas pictures have the distinct purpose of doing just that. So I guess there's something in the brain that triggers when one sees a picture of themselves... Who knows. I'm just a doofus with a blog and the desire to play some football.

Anyway, there's the update so far. I'll probably be hitting this space with more over the next few months, as things happen. I've also contemplated putting together a small video series on "the absolute beginner's guide to the gym" or something - I've received a good bit of feedback on my "about" section describing the exercises, so who knows... I've not really seen much out there that shows someone who's never done the bench press before how exactly they should do it.

Any opinion?

That's it for now

2007-12-02T18:14:00.000-08:00

Whelp, that's it for this year. I've heard from folks on both teams, and both were very kind to contact me. The bottom line for both teams - I came out, I showed them something. They want me to continue working as hard as I have and come out in 2008 - they both said great things about my physical ability to perform, and both said I have a lot of rust in the gears when it comes to the actual football-playing techniques. I need to study, practice on specific read and position techniques, and just keep up the workout regemen.

I didn't feel like I was getting "thanks, but no thanks." Instead, I feel like they both took the time to tell me what I needed to work on because they honestly want to see me try again. After all, these are professional teams with professional staffs who don't have time to dilly-dally.

So, that's it for football tryouts for this year. But there's something else in the works as I speak (what, you thought I was just going to stop?). More on that when it launches, and I'll make sure to provide links from this blog to the new one.

And yes, I'll continue to update this blog when I train for football next year.

Some followup...

2007-10-29T20:54:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been two weeks, and I've heard from two AF2 (Arena Football League 2) teams, the Florida Firecats and the South Georga Wildcats. I've heard from three AIFA (American Indoor Football Association) teams, the Columbus Lions, The Augusta Spartans, and the Florida Stingrays.

Still nothing from the Storm or the Force.

I don't know what this means in regards to the AFL teams... Except not much of anything. As far as the AF2 and the AIFA teams, all 5 of them said that I showed great field awareness, athleticism, and knowledge of my position, and that they'd like me to come try out for their teams at a closed tryout. The problem...

All five are greater than 100 miles from my home, and the AF2 pays 200 dollars a week... The AIFL, even less.

I can't leave my home and go play for a team for $2400 a year. I mean... I love football. And if they were here in my city (or even close to me), I'd do it just to play. But I can't really afford to make a commitment that takes me away from my home for less than it costs to feed my cats and dogs each year (and take them to the vet... Our cats are fat, but not $2400.00 of Purina Cat Chow fat).

I heard from a few guys I met during the tryouts (there were 2 guys who were with me at both Tampa and Georgia, and we've kept in touch) that neither the Storm nor the Force have yet to contact them - and all three of us heard directly from the Offensive Coordinator of the Force that we'd hear back from them.

So for now, I'm just waiting. And I know that all three of the people reading this are waiting (hi mom and dad... And whoever you are, LostinAlbuquerque837...), so I thought I'd just check in with you and let you know how it's going (or more correctly, how it's not).