My fitness training confirmation biases

I recently attended a continuing professional education seminar about best investments and investment strategies.  One term presented in the course, catching my attention, was investment confirmation bias. 

It was explained as an investor’s tendency to seek information that supports their beliefs, bias that leads to focusing only on information that reinforces their opinions about an investment, and selectively choosing which information to use resulting in a lack of diversification and investments that are too risky.

This confirmation bias term distracted me for a moment, making me think about what confirmation biases I may have in my middle-aged man fitness training journey. 

For example, what are my tendencies to seek information that supports my beliefs about my fitness training?  How do these tendencies result in me focusing only on information that reinforces my opinion about my current training methods?

I’m currently in the fitness training minimalist “camp” of primarily doing pull-ups, bar dips, kettlebells, and burpees in my fitness training rotation.  This means I’m excluding a lot of other training modalities such as isometrics, resistance bands, barbells, dumbbells, clubbells, maces and other fitness gadgets to name a few.

How much fitter could I be, and more efficiently, if I opened my eyes with a willingness to diversify my fitness training methods, and to seek out new knowledge about these other training methods?  What cardiovascular-respiratory conditioning and strength endurance levels am I “leaving on the table” with my current minimalist approach?

Am I doing too many burpees at the expense of something else?

While I continue pounding away this week with my status quo fitness training, maybe I should spend some of my rest and recovery time between exercises and training workouts thinking more about my fitness training confirmation biases.

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum

Doing the singles thing

 

There’s a training cadence to meet the needs of everyone if you spend some time searching for and reading about it. From the time-tested beginner barbell training protocol of three sets of eight reps to the German Volume Training protocol of ten sets of ten reps. 

Whatever you want, it’s yours to be had; all you must do is show up and do the work and, more likely than not, you’ll make fitness training progress if the protocol you use has a progressive resistance component to it.

I’m currently playing around with singles. One way I trained with singles was doing a singles progression of about eight to ten rounds with the final rounds being about 90 percent to a personal best attempt depending on how I was feeling and how I did with the previously completed rounds. Then, I’d close with a bonus round using a weight that was about 65 percent of my one repetition max. I’d completed as many repetitions as possible which gave me a nice closing muscle hypertrophy feeling that the singles didn’t deliver.

Recently I started singles training for double kettlebell overhead press, double kettlebell rack squat, weighted pull-ups, and weighted bar dips. While nothing is cast in stone, the workouts completed thus far have been of 20 singles every minute on the minute. 

Time will tell what return on my training investment doing these singles gives me. As a minimum, experience lifting something heavy for me should make lifting something not as heavy a bunch of times easier to do. So long as the singles training has a progressive resistance component to it, I can’t help but thinking this training will be fruitful along with the other work I’m doing.

Here’s a recent workout using a pair of 24kg kettlebells and doing a singles workout consisting of 20 singles done every minute on the minute.

It’s kind of fun doing the singles thing.

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum

Resurrecting weighted squat work

For one reason or another, I dodged weighted squat work in my 2021 fitness training. I can almost count with the fingers on my hand the weighted squats I did last year.  The squat training abstinence party is over.  This year I’ll be doing weighted squat work regularly in my fitness training.

One of my excuses was that I was running and didn’t want the weighted squat work to get in the way of my running workouts.  Not that I was doing any spectacular running workouts, but that was my excuse.

Another excuse was that I was doing some regular burpees workouts and didn't want squat work to get in the way of these intense workouts.

I had no problem making excuses, like many other aging middle-aged man fitness warriors who dodge the squat, blaming it on bad knees, a bum back or that don’t want their legs to get any bigger than they already are. 

I’ve done weighted squats at various times over my fitness training life and there’s no doubt that they’re good for me. Having a little age on my bones and knees aren’t legitimate excuses for not doing weighted squat work. I just must be sensible about the work I do, and I will.

Recently, I tested myself with a pair of 24kg kettlebells and was able to do five reps. It was hard because I was sporting squat depth rust and weak wheels from squat training neglect. This result has become my day one benchmark to measure progress.

Then a couple days later, I did a squat workout consisting of 20 rounds of double 24kg kettlebell rack squat singles done every minute on the minute. It was a hard workout, but I finished it and, honestly, wasn’t as sore the next day as I was expecting. Here’s my effort:

It feels good resurrecting weighted squat work.

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum

Happy New Year 2022!

 

Happy New Year 2022 Pierini Fitness sports fans and my sincere apologies for my prolonged AWOL here. I was gone for almost six months. This is terrible and there’s no excuse for it.

I have no excuse other than blogger lethargy. I’ve been living my gracefully aging middle-aged man life and had a productive fitness training year but selfishly didn’t take the time to share as I’ve done so often in my past. Maybe 2022 will be different; I hope so.

Until I can get back in my groove writing my middle-aged man reflections about living and dying, gracefully aging, and trying my best to live a good and honest life, I’ll focus on sharing what’s going on in my fitness training. I’m training as a usually have – at parks and at home doing pull-ups, bar dips, kettlebell work and burpees. Much to my surprise, I’ve not done any running workouts in a while. So, once again, I suppose this qualifies me for the designation of “retired fun runner.”  We’ll see.

Stop by and check out to see what I share in the new year and hopefully you’ll walk away with a great fitness training workout idea occasionally.

Until then, take care, be safe and Happy New Year 2022!

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum

Decreasing time intervals increasing speed burpees workout

 

My Burpees 2021 Journey continues, and I recently arrived at the halfway point towards my destination.  My journey is to perform 100 burpees workouts in 2021 where I complete at least 100 burpees.  In the process, I’d like to reclaim burpees performance on par with where I was at last year.  You see, I’ve experienced some burpees performance erosion.  This happens when you slack off and don’t do your burpees.

I’d like to do better than reclaim my 2020 burpees performance.  I’d like to achieve a goal that has alluded me for a long time.  It’s to complete 100 burpees in 10 minutes or less.  I almost got there last year but didn’t achieve it.  I’ve got some work to do if I’m going to have a fighting chance of achieving it by the end of 2021.  That’s my goal and I’m training with this in mind.

So, I’ve added some structure to my burpees training, borrowing some of the ideas I learned about when I was training to improve my one mile running time.  One workout consists of a longer and slow workout with some burpees volume, while the other days focus on speed.

One training day I’ve put together an interval workout that consists of decreasing time intervals with increasing speed.  It’s designed to help me achieve a negative split during my burpees workout.

What’s a negative split?  View this video where I explain it and you’ll also get an idea how this workout is done.

Mobile phone users, if the video doesn't appear below, click this link:

(3) Burpees Decreasing Time Intervals Increasing Speed Workout done by 66-years young middle-aged man - YouTube

Training to improve burpees performance is hard work but I’ve signed up for the task and am going to hang in there and do the hard work.  One way I’ll get to my destination is by regularly doing my decreasing time intervals increasing speed burpees workout.

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum

Getting to better know Pierini Fitness

 

The other day, after another early-morning burpees workout, I made this short video to help my sports fans getting to better know Pierini Fitness.

Attention mobile phone users:  If a video doesn't appear above, click this link and you'll be able to view it:

GETTING TO KNOW PIERINI FITNESS - YouTube

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum

We call it summer!

First day of Summer 2021 at 6:05 am and already hot!

Summer 2021 arrived yesterday with my approval, but my summer heat had already arrived earlier in my part of the world.

And, apparently, this heat has arrived other parts of the United States.  My former hometown contacts tell me it’s been very hot there.  The media seems to be on an uptick reporting a southwestern United States heat wave.

Is it time to switch gears from the rampant COVID reporting and start something new, or old, like climate change or global warming?

Some people call this heat climate change or global warming.  Yet others call it a “heat wave.” 

Here is Arizona, we call it summer!

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum

New York Yankees baseball game tickets for 100 push-ups?

I think it’s stupid how all these government “leaders” are coming up with their nifty ideas of creating various carrots to encourage people to get their COVID vaccinations.  It really tells you what they think of average Americans; throw a hungry dog a piece of meat and he’ll devour it regardless of whether it tastes good or not.

In no order of stupidity, here’s a sampling of what some governments are doing to encourage average American knuckleheads to get their COVID vaccination:

ü Washington state says licensed marijuana stores can offer free joints to promote coronavirus vaccine clinics.

ü West Virginia is expanding its incentives to encourage residents get vaccinated with weekly lottery drawings offering cash, trucks, guns, and scholarships to those who've received at least one immunization shot. 

ü California has what appears to be the largest COVID inoculation incentive in the nation: the chance for 10 residents to win $1.5 million each.

ü New York state has a “Vax and Scratch” scheme, where when you get your COVID vacation, you are entered into a free New York State Lottery, where top prize stands at $5 million.

The list goes on and on, but I’ll stop with these representative examples.

As recently reported by Fox News, to reach his goal of getting at least one COVID vaccination shot into the arms of 70% of the nation’s adults by July 4th, Joe Biden unveiled a five-part plan to reach that goal, which included steps to make it easier to get the vaccine and incentives such as free food, beer, and tickets.

There’s no shortage of incentives being offered to encourage people to do what many people have decided not to do; get a COVID vaccination shot that they believe comes with unknown risks.  Can’t say I blame them because I’m one of them.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if these same governments offered incentives for people to eat healthy and less, and to engage in regular and vigorous exercise activities?  Do you think it would work?  Do you believe the outcome would be great?

How about if every American leading an unhealthy lifestyle started walking 30 to 60 minutes a day and losing weight?  If they did, they’d be entered to win a nice incentive; maybe something like a $250 gift certificate to buy some new clothes so they can toss away their fat man or fat lady clothes.

I think it would work for the same reason these government “leaders” think their silly incentives will work.

How about some New York Yankees baseball game tickets for 100 pushups? 

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum

Make America fit again!

 

My Burpees x 100 Summer 2021 Countdown is a work in progress and today is day seven of this countdown journey.  I’ll have more to share about how it’s going next week.

But I do have something to share this week.

Question:  How do you make American great again?

Answer:  By being fit.

A fit America is a great America. This is Pierini Fitness and I approve this message.

Do your burpees and make America fit again!

 Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum

Burpees 2021 Journey

Earlier this year, I began my Burpees 2021 Journey with a goal of performing a 100 burpees workout for 100 days in 2021.  I started my journey on January 1^st and completed 100 burpees that day in 15:56. I was off to a good start.

But along the way, this good start changed.  Lackluster enthusiasm for the task, a sternum injury along the way, followed with some right-hand and wrist injuries that still linger, and before I knew it, I was behind the performance pace needed to complete 100 burpees workouts for the year.  As of the end of May (yesterday), I’ve only completed 24 burpees workouts and my last burpees x 100 workout’s time of 15:46 is only 10 seconds faster than my January 1^st effort.  I have a long way to go.

By frame of reference, last year on June 1st, I began a Burpees x 100 Summer 2020 Countdown, completing 100 burpees in 12:48.  Therefore, it’s now taking me about three minutes longer to complete 100 burpees than last year.

My goal for the first day of summer last year was to complete 100 burpees in 11:00.  I accomplished this goal on June 19, 2020, with a time of 10:46.  

As is often the case with burpees, I eventually got burned out, distracted, and eventually lost the burpees conditioning gained from my Summer 2020 Countdown effort.

To jumpstart my lethargic effort thus far this year, I’ve decided to start today a Burpees x 100 Summer 2021 Countdown with plans on completing 100 burpees each day until the first day of Summer 2021 on June 20^th.  It’ll be like last year’s countdown except I’ll not set a time goal for the first day of summer but promise to make my best effort each day.  It would be nice, however, to knock three minutes off my current time, which would be a time of 12:46, but we’ll see.

If I get a burpees workout in every day until the first day of summer, that’ll give me 45 burpees x 100 workouts year-to-date for 2021, a much better position to be at mid-year with a goal of 100 burpees x 100 workouts for 2021.

Wish me well and follow along as I share the details of my Burpees 2021 Journey.

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum