Day 22: Priority Training Day, 100 Pull Ups with little rest

Today was a big step in the right direction.  Just as a review, I'm looking to complete 100 pull ups straight without any rest in the next 100 days.  I'm at the beginning of my fourth week of training toward my goal of 100 pull ups straight.  

My training has focused primarily on the pull up grips that are outward-angled inside grips on the pull up station.  This calls for more work on my biceps and since I'm pretty strong in my biceps area, I felt this was a great place to start so I could slowly transition to the harder parallel grip for the traditional pull ups.  My pull ups are completely dead-weighted, being that I do NOT use any of my lower body for momentum (also known as "kipping up", often seen in crossfit training) to propel myself into the top position of the pull up movement.  

I warmed up on the treadmill for 10 minutes at a consistent pace of 3.5mph at 6.5% incline.  Fully warmed up, I got into position with the intent to crank the goal of completing all 100 pull ups in as quick a time as possible.  Success!

I was a bit ambitious on my last attempt

The pull up station used

 I completed the 102 pull ups in 11 minutes 45 seconds.  Woo!  That's a record.  On my first attempt, I cranked out 20 pull ups straight!  That was a rush.   I literally came down and felt a runner's high from doing it.  Amazing!  

I wrapped up my workout after that with a cool down on the treadmill and headed out.  I'd like to conserve my energy for tomorrow's upper body routine.  The workout will be involving more pulls so I'd like to make sure that I'm rested up.  

If you haven't had a chance yet, click on this link http://amzn.com/B00KYV2MA6 to get a FREE copy of my first publication "Unlock Your Greater Life" on Kindle.  You will find some of my methodology and programming highlighted in the book (chapter on pulls).  If you do order a copy, please be sure to post a review.  This free offer expires after December 1, 2014.  Amazon will not allow for too many freebie days with this book.   Pass on the savings to your friends and family.  In the meantime, I'll see you tomorrow!

-Dale L Roberts
One Jacked Monkey

You should consult a qualified medical professional before starting this or any other health & fitness program.  As with any exercise or diet program, if at any time you experience any discomfort, pain or duress of any sort, stop immediately and consult your physician.  The creators, producers, participants, advertisers and distributors of this program disclaim any liabilities or losses in connection with the exercises or advice herein.  Any equipment or workout area that is used should be thoroughly inspected as free of danger, flaw or compromise, ahead of use and the user assumes all responsibility when performing any movements contained in this blog.

Day 21: Off day

Oddly enough, my workout the day before was not entirely impossible, slightly challenging yet I managed completing it.  But, today, I awoke to some pretty good soreness.  Much like I would train my back on a priority day, focusing on many compound, high rep, high volume exercises.  As the day progressed, I continued to loosen up and by bed time, I felt almost nothing in soreness.

Stretching, adequate hydration and plenty of BCAAs helped in my recovery and never let's me down.  Tomorrow is priority training day and my focus will be on completing 100 pull ups with little rest as possible.  We'll see how I do, but I'm feeling confident that I'll see some marked improvement.

-Dale L. Roberts
One Jacked Monkey

You should consult a qualified medical professional before starting this or any other health & fitness program.  As with any exercise or diet program, if at any time you experience any discomfort, pain or duress of any sort, stop immediately and consult your physician.  The creators, producers, participants, advertisers and distributors of this program disclaim any liabilities or losses in connection with the exercises or advice herein.  Any equipment or workout area that is used should be thoroughly inspected as free of danger, flaw or compromise, ahead of use and the user assumes all responsibility when performing any movements contained in this blog.

Day 20: Secondary Pull Day

Today, I felt leagues better and though it's Thanksgiving, I felt the best way to experience a wonderful holiday was to spend time with my wife and workout.  Woo!  Loving life, man!

My priority training today was leg heavy and I primarily focused on hitting my hamstrings and calves.  Boy was I successful because I walked home like a new-born giraffe.

After my workout, I hit the cable equipment (see picture inset).  My theory is this:  Duplicate the same motion with half the weight of my body for the same reps I expect to crank out on my pull ups.  So, this is how it looks:

Exercise:  Cable Pulldowns
Equipment:  Dual cable pin select with the bar attachment
-Come to a seated position on the ground, gripping the bar with arms shoulder-width apart.  Pull down the bar to the chest and slowly let it come back to full arm extension overhead.
Sets:  3
Reps:  1st set - 34, 2nd set - 33, 3rd set - 33
2 minutes rest between sets
Total reps:  100

Man, I was feeling swollen.  Also, watch the above video for a detailed explanation of 100 days to 100 pull ups.  Be sure to like, comment and subscribe to my YouTube channel and this blogspot.

-Dale L. Roberts
One Jacked Monkey

You should consult a qualified medical professional before starting this or any other health & fitness program.  As with any exercise or diet program, if at any time you experience any discomfort, pain or duress of any sort, stop immediately and consult your physician.  The creators, producers, participants, advertisers and distributors of this program disclaim any liabilities or losses in connection with the exercises or advice herein.  Any equipment or workout area that is used should be thoroughly inspected as free of danger, flaw or compromise, ahead of use and the user assumes all responsibility when performing any movements contained in this blog.

Day 19: Off Day...Overtraining

I'm posting this a day late as I normally type up my full report the day of and release it the next day at noon.  Life sometimes gets in the way and certain priorities gain a bit more attention than others.  'Tis life and I'm not sharing a complaint; more so the circumstances.

Speaking of circumstances, I started my day off with my usual morning cardio and stretch.  This is a routine I adopted about a month ago and I LOVE doing this every day now.  My mind is a bit more focused throughout the day, I feel super charged and full of vitality.  I highly recommend doing cardio and stretching immediately after waking.  Some people call this "fasted cardio" since no breakfast is consumed, but I don't like to push my body to eating it's own muscle tissue for sustenance.  So, I throw back a serving of Catalyst (great for recovery and nourishment for the muscle tissue), 16 ounces of a Spark and Rehydrate mix (energy and electrolyte support) and prep another 16 ounces of Rehydrate and BioCharge (electrolyte and more recovery/muscle nourishment) for during my workout.  After my morning routine, I slug back another 16 ounces of water and a light vegan protein shake.  Good stuff!

As the day progressed though, I found my attention drawn away from the gym and more on my ever-growing pile of projects.  In the back of my mind, I'm thinking about hitting the gym late to get a good secondary pull routine in, but it never came.  The further I went into my day the more I started to notice a nagging symptom in my back.  I either was overtrained or dehydrated, because my left (lat) back muscle kept twitching.  Annoying to say the least.  I dealt with it and when I really thought about it, I drank a ton more water.  I decided today may be a good day for time off.

Listen to your body, folks.  It'll never tell you wrong.

-Dale L. Roberts
One Jacked Monkey

You should consult a qualified medical professional before starting this or any other health & fitness program.  As with any exercise or diet program, if at any time you experience any discomfort, pain or duress of any sort, stop immediately and consult your physician.  The creators, producers, participants, advertisers and distributors of this program disclaim any liabilities or losses in connection with the exercises or advice herein.  Any equipment or workout area that is used should be thoroughly inspected as free of danger, flaw or compromise, ahead of use and the user assumes all responsibility when performing any movements contained in this blog.

Day 18: Off Day

Today was a refreshing change from the usual.  I took it easy on the back and focused a bit more on pull movements relative to my rear delts, lateral delts and traps.  Just when I thought I had more in me, my energy began to wane, so I opted to finish up at the 1 hour mark (or so).

Going into the workout, I thought I would test my best in pull ups and see how many I could complete without rest.  I warmed up on the treadmill for 10 minutes, starting at 6.0% incline and 3.5mph.  Increasing the incline by 1.0% every 1 minute, so I was fully warmed before jumping into my routine.

I approached the assisted pull up machine (though not to use the assist) and cranked out 18 pull ups without rest on the angled-out inside grips.  Though I'm not setting records and am far from what I was able to do a number of years ago, this is a HUGE step in the right direction.  Considering that when I began this journey about 3 weeks ago, I was able to crank out 10 with maximum effort.

As the days progress I will put myself to the test a bit more often as my ultimate goal will require 100 pull ups without rest.

Stay tuned!  Hit me up tomorrow!

-Dale L Roberts
One Jacked Monkey, LLC

You should consult a qualified medical professional before starting this or any other health & fitness program.  As with any exercise or diet program, if at any time you experience any discomfort, pain or duress of any sort, stop immediately and consult your physician.  The creators, producers, participants, advertisers and distributors of this program disclaim any liabilities or losses in connection with the exercises or advice herein.  Any equipment or workout area that is used should be thoroughly inspected as free of danger, flaw or compromise, ahead of use and the user assumes all responsibility when performing any movements contained in this blog.

Day 17: Secondary Priority Day

For the record, my legs are f#&kin' sore as hell today from my workout yesterday and get progressively worse.  So, rather than make myself that way in my upper body, I focused on a quick secondary priority day for my 100 pull ups in 100 days goal and wrapped up with some deep leg stretching.

The brace method for a one-arm pull up

I used the pull up assist equipment without the assist

Squeezing up to the top position

Time:  15 minutes
Rest:  1 minute between sets
Exercise:  One arm pull ups with wrist support
Completed:  8 sets of 3 pull ups each arm
Total pull ups:  24 one arm pull ups each arm/48 total

This was a real rush for me, because I haven't been able to complete a one arm pull up since 2009.  Back then I was extremely focused on bodyweight exercises and it was common practice for me to do pull ups in many variations.  Nothing fancy, but I did lots of pull ups.

Getting to the bottom position

The reason I was set on bodyweight exercises in 2009 was my low back injury in June 2008 left me pretty bad.  Most days, it was a struggle to physically and mentally get through my day.  Prior to the injury I was a heavy weight lifter and did lots of plyo workouts and heavy compound movements.  But, when I was told by my orthopedic doctor that I was in need of another consultation with the orthopedic surgeon, I was in desperation to change my lifestyle to better accommodate my injury.

So, my solution was tons of decompression therapy, mild chiropractic care, flexibility training, strictly bodyweight exercises for my workouts and regimented eating.  I dropped 50 pounds by August 2008.  Yes, that is NOT safe, but I was on heavy meds, had a poor appetite and a complete obsession with annihilating my pain and injury.

My injury came late May 2008, I fought through it til the beginning of June 2008 when I was diagnosed with a severely herniated disc in my L5-S1 vertebrae.  At that time, I was weighing a chunky yet beefy (in other words, I was muscled, but a little pudgy around the waist) 220 pounds and by August 2008, I had shed down to 170 pounds.

In the time that followed, I became obsessed with working out and focused on how I could become excellent at the ordinary and great at the extraordinary.  Pull ups and squats were my fix.

One day, I wondered if I could perform a single arm pull up...bam!  It happened.  With a little bracing.  Eventually I was completing 3-4 pull ups without bracing with no issue.  But, much like all good things, it came to an end.  My injury became a distant yet haunting memory (it would rear it's ugly head from time to time) and my drive to get better faded.

Now, I'm less obsessed about my workouts and in it to have fun while inspiring others to improve their own quality of life through exercise.

Well, that was a LONG blog, hit me back tomorrow.  I'm going to try for a record of as many pull ups in a row as possible.  See ya then!

-Dale L Roberts
One Jacked Monkey, LLC

You should consult a qualified medical professional before starting this or any other health & fitness program.  As with any exercise or diet program, if at any time you experience any discomfort, pain or duress of any sort, stop immediately and consult your physician.  The creators, producers, participants, advertisers and distributors of this program disclaim any liabilities or losses in connection with the exercises or advice herein.  Any equipment or workout area that is used should be thoroughly inspected as free of danger, flaw or compromise, ahead of use and the user assumes all responsibility when performing any movements contained in this blog.

Day 16: OFF (nothing to see hear, move on to the next blog)

What a day to take a break.  I'm feeling pretty darn sore in my back (lats mainly).  I'm looking forward to a morning session of massage therapy and an afternoon of single arm pull ups.

I had an excellent leg workout today and was able to avoid picking up a weight more than 6 times (weighted sumos).  Great times, I'm sure my legs will feel it tomorrow.

I'll see you tomorrow and post results.

-Dale L Roberts
One Jacked Monkey, LLC

You should consult a qualified medical professional before starting this or any other health & fitness program.  As with any exercise or diet program, if at any time you experience any discomfort, pain or duress of any sort, stop immediately and consult your physician.  The creators, producers, participants, advertisers and distributors of this program disclaim any liabilities or losses in connection with the exercises or advice herein.  Any equipment or workout area that is used should be thoroughly inspected as free of danger, flaw or compromise, ahead of use and the user assumes all responsibility when performing any movements contained in this blog.

P.S.  See I told you, there's nothing to see hear, move on to the next blog or a previous blog.

Day 15: Priority Training Day

I sprinted into this workout like a madman!  Very happy with my efforts and I even had my cardio this morning.  It helps that my nutrition and rest have been right on target and I have been supplementing extra BCAAs and protein to maximize the most out of my down time for recovery.

 

Today was a simple plan -
Time: 30 minutes
Exercise:  Pull ups
Grip:  Angled-out inside grips
-Squeeze off 7 reps then rest 1 minute.
Total completed: 182 reps

In theory, I was thinking I'd accomplish about 210 reps by the end of the workout...wrong!  I forgot about the time it would take to start/stop the timer and how long it'd take me to rep out.  So, as time passed by and my realization that my math was off, I decided to cut my rest time since I felt like I still had more in me after 7 reps.

This proved to be an awesome theory, so I repped out 5, then rested for 30 seconds.  I will be using this next week to break my 200 pull ups in under 30 minutes.

My biggest success:  100 reps in 16 minutes and 50 seconds.  Wow!  This is huge considering last week I had that in 19 minutes!  Big gain!

Tomorrow, I'm going to take another off day, so that the day after next I can focus on some single arm pulls.  See ya tomorrow on an update.

-Dale L Roberts
One Jacked Monkey, LLC

You should consult a qualified medical professional before starting this or any other health & fitness program.  As with any exercise or diet program, if at any time you experience any discomfort, pain or duress of any sort, stop immediately and consult your physician.  The creators, producers, participants, advertisers and distributors of this program disclaim any liabilities or losses in connection with the exercises or advice herein.  Any equipment or workout area that is used should be thoroughly inspected as free of danger, flaw or compromise, ahead of use and the user assumes all responsibility when performing any movements contained in this blog.

Day 14: Stretch and rest

I guess the title can be misleading, considering that I worked out anyways.  My workout primarily focused on pushes, but no pulls.  I kept my workout below 1 hour and took an additional 15 minutes to loosen up my back, biceps and shoulder area.  It felt great to take a day away from my pull ups and I anticipate some growth in my pull ups tomorrow.

I'll see you then!

-Dale L. Roberts
One Jacked Monkey, LLC

You should consult a qualified medical professional before starting this or any other health & fitness program.  As with any exercise or diet program, if at any time you experience any discomfort, pain or duress of any sort, stop immediately and consult your physician.  The creators, producers, participants, advertisers and distributors of this program disclaim any liabilities or losses in connection with the exercises or advice herein.  Any equipment or workout area that is used should be thoroughly inspected as free of danger, flaw or compromise, ahead of use and the user assumes all responsibility when performing any movements contained in this blog.

Day 13: Iso-pull Workout

I stayed up a little late last night and am feeling the ill effects today.  Not that I was entirely dead to the world, but I wasn't my normal 110%.

Today, I started out with my fasted cardio (compliments of some great BCAAs, of course) and got into some deep stretches immediately after.  Since I wasn't 100%, I decided to hold off on my workout and see if I could summon the energy...that never came.  Oh, well, gotta get it done, so that is what I shot for today.

Threw back my pre-workout drink and headed up for an hour of leg training followed by my iso-pull routine.  I was rather encouraged by how well I handled it today and didn't really die out on the intervals until the last 3 sets.

Equipment:  Assisted Pull-up bars (no assistance used)
Time: 15 minutes
Intervals:  30 seconds rest, 30 seconds hold
I would rotate out on grips with each set (see attached picture).  I started with the outward-angled inside grip, next set was the inward-angled mid-grip and last was the outside grips.  The stinkin' grips on the outside handles were loose, so that was a bit of a challenge in holding on, but I did my best and was happy that I showed better results than last week's iso-pull routine.

Tomorrow will be a day off, so that I can really crank out the hits on the pull ups at the beginning of week 3 (day 15).  I'll still post my thoughts tomorrow and possibly share some stretch tips.

Get lit, be fit, stay strong!


-Dale L. Roberts
One Jacked Monkey

You should consult a qualified medical professional before starting this or any other health & fitness program.  As with any exercise or diet program, if at any time you experience any discomfort, pain or duress of any sort, stop immediately and consult your physician.  The creators, producers, participants, advertisers and distributors of this program disclaim any liabilities or losses in connection with the exercises or advice herein.  Any equipment or workout area that is used should be thoroughly inspected as free of danger, flaw or compromise, ahead of use and the user assumes all responsibility when performing any movements contained in this blog.

Day 12: Secondary Muscle Training

I woke up today feeling pretty darn good, cranked out some cardio and some deep stretches.  Rather than jump into my pull workout, I opted to do it a little later, hoping that I would have enough recovery time that my back would feel a bit better.  I didn't feel excessively sore, but I certainly felt a little fatigued.  So, rather than kill my back in another priority pull training, I opted to crush some biceps movements.

Think about it, what are the primary movers in pull ups?  Back and biceps.  With my goal being 100 pull ups straight this is going to require much endurance, so today was going to be an intense 15 minutes on my biceps.  Each exercise was done to complete failure or I performed 25-50 reps.  Here ya go:

Dumbbell Biceps Curl - 15lbs. x50 reps
Dumbbell Alternating Biceps Curl - 10lbs. x50 reps
Dumbbell Rapid Biceps Curls - 5lbs. x50reps
25lb. Plate Alternating Side Curls x25 reps each side
Cable Curls w/ Rope - 27.5 x15 reps
Cable Single Arm Curl w/ Pipe Extension - 12.5 x15reps each side

This is my favorite cooldown:
1)  Get on a treadmill
2)  Start at a 3.5mph pace and decrease by 0.1mph every 30 seconds
3)  Hold an isometric biceps curl, tuck the elbows and squeeze the back muscles while tightening the mid-section.  Breathe intensely through the diaphragm for 30 seconds, then relax for 30 seconds.  Repeat for the 10 minute cooldown.

After my cooldown, I spent an additional 15 minutes on stretching my shoulders all the way around. Front and back.  I had a little help from my stretch strap.  I highly recommend you invest in one of these tools (or in my case, steal it from your wife).  If you don't have a stretch strap, use a strong towel.

Hey!  Hit me up tomorrow, I'm gonna look into isometric pull up (holds) for an intense 15 minute routine.

-Dale L. Roberts
One Jacked Monkey

You should consult a qualified medical professional before starting this or any other health & fitness program.  As with any exercise or diet program, if at any time you experience any discomfort, pain or duress of any sort, stop immediately and consult your physician.  The creators, producers, participants, advertisers and distributors of this program disclaim any liabilities or losses in connection with the exercises or advice herein.  Any equipment or workout area that is used should be thoroughly inspected as free of danger, flaw or compromise, ahead of use and the user assumes all responsibility when performing any movements contained in this blog.

Day 11: Secondary Priority Pull Day

Ever have one of those days that you wake up with so much energy and vitality that you are unstoppable?  Ya feel near indestructible?  I did today.

After about 8 hours sleep (thanks to the wake up call from some automated telemarketing call), I came bounding out of bed and ready to throw down my BCAAs, a pre-workout and head out for some morning cardio.  Woo!  Man, I was lit up.  I hit the elliptical for 20 minutes followed by 10 minutes on the recumbent bike.  After that I focused on loosening my tight legs (from heavy leg training last night) and profusely sweating (of course, this last part was completely autonomic).

So, today's secondary priority pull training was focused on 15 minutes of a quick hit and split that I could use to build toward my goal of 100 pull ups straight by day 100.  I busted out the TRX Suspension Trainer at my gym!  Love that thing, it's simplicity is genius and if you don't have the tool at your disposal, I highly recommend it for your next big investment.  Some generic versions are on the market, so do your research and I'm sure you will find something that fits your budget.

Exercise:  Inverted Rows on the TRX
Time:  15 minutes
Purpose:  Crank out as many reps in the time allotted
Goal:  200 reps
Actual outcome:  155 reps

I shot for 200, so I focused on pumping out 20 at a time with only 1 minutes rest.  The further into the time I went, the more fatigued I became.  After a bit, I was fighting for 12-15 repetitions at a time.  I'd just rest a moment, then pump out the remainder of the 20 reps left in that set.  Then, I'd set my 1 minute rest.  I'm very happy with the outcome, though I will be trying to best this record sometime in the next 80 days.  Stay tuned!

In the meantime, get lit, be fit and stay strong!




-Dale L. Roberts
One Jacked Monkey

You should consult a qualified medical professional before starting this or any other health & fitness program.  As with any exercise or diet program, if at any time you experience any discomfort, pain or duress of any sort, stop immediately and consult your physician.  The creators, producers, participants, advertisers and distributors of this program disclaim any liabilities or losses in connection with the exercises or advice herein.  Any equipment or workout area that is used should be thoroughly inspected as free of danger, flaw or compromise, ahead of use and the user assumes all responsibility when performing any movements contained in this blog.

Day 10: Off

Though I was ambitious yesterday, I woke to discover that I was markedly sore and fatigued in my back muscles.  Never ignore excessive soreness and fatigue, because this is when you are needing healing time most and also most susceptible to injury.

I did train my favorite muscles group, the legs, but kept it on isolated pin select equipment so that I could give my back muscles the day off.  This worked and I found that 10 rounds of 10 reps each on the leg extension and leg curl machines was enough to make me wobble walk my way home.

I will fall back on to my plans come tomorrow based on how well I feel.

The plan is to perform inverted rows and my gut is feeling that the TRX suspension training straps sound like a winner.  That'll be a 15 minute workout and I'm going to shoot for 200 reps as I did on the pull ups.  We will see come tomorrow's post.

Thanks for tuning in and for those of you unaware, this IS going to be full publication going into summer of next year.  Be sure to share this information with every one you now and join in on this challenge.  Even if you have never done a single pull up, you can set your own bar of at least completing 1 rep in the next month.

Get lit, be fit, stay strong!

-Dale L. Roberts
One Jacked Monkey

You should consult a qualified medical professional before starting this or any other health & fitness program.  As with any exercise or diet program, if at any time you experience any discomfort, pain or duress of any sort, stop immediately and consult your physician.  The creators, producers, participants, advertisers and distributors of this program disclaim any liabilities or losses in connection with the exercises or advice herein.  Any equipment or workout area that is used should be thoroughly inspected as free of danger, flaw or compromise, ahead of use and the user assumes all responsibility when performing any movements contained in this blog.

Day 9: Isometric Pull Intervals

Yesterday was a fantastic day and I'm quite proud of the progress I've made in just 1 week's work.  Today was further proof that I have a ways to go to build up great conditioning in my back, bis and abs to beat my goal of 100 pull ups in 100 days.   My priority training day will be the first day in a week period and all other days will be secondary training to support the goal.  On the secondary days, I'd like to keep the intensity lower, the movement less intense yet supportive to my goal and/or shorter training time (excluding the normal 10 minute warm-up).

My focus was isometric (hold) pull ups with a 90 degree bend in the elbows for 30 seconds at a time.   My grip was on the inside, angled out handles on the assist machine.  I'll illustrate how well I did, but I must say, yesterday has left me a wee bit sore in my back today.

Minute 1:  30 seconds off, 30 seconds hold
Minute 2:  30 seconds off, 30 seconds hold
Minute 3:  30 seconds off, 30 seconds hold
Minute 4: off
Minute 5: 30 seconds hold, 30 seconds off
Minute 6: 30 seconds off, 30 seconds hold
Minute 7:  off
Minute 8:  30 seconds hold, 30 seconds off
Minute 9:  off
Minute 10:  30 seconds hold, 30 seconds off
Minute 11:  off
Minute 12:  30 seconds hold, 30 seconds off
Minute 13:  off
Minute 14:  30 seconds hold, 30 seconds off
Minute 15: off

You'll notice that I went into the workout rather ambitious, but began to tire out rather quickly and employ longer rest times.  My last interval took it all out of me and I threw in the towel.

That's it for today.  I'll see you tomorrow when I'll probably focus on some inverted rows to keep the bodyweight pull movement, but not kill my back and bi muscles.  We'll see how my body heals over night.  Get lit, be fit, stay strong!

-Dale L. Roberts
One Jacked Monkey
You should consult a qualified medical professional before starting this or any other health & fitness program.  As with any exercise or diet program, if at any time you experience any discomfort, pain or duress of any sort, stop immediately and consult your physician.  The creators, producers, participants, advertisers and distributors of this program disclaim any liabilities or losses in connection with the exercises or advice herein.  Any equipment or workout area that is used should be thoroughly inspected as free of danger, flaw or compromise, ahead of use and the user assumes all responsibility when performing any movements contained in this blog.

Day 8: Week 1 start

Hey, how about that?!  I'm pushing myself to an excellent goal with an exact deadline, so I have no time to lose.  I'm shooting for the heavy pull up day to be the first of the week, every week.  So, today was my day.

Last week, my focus was on performing as many pull ups as I could in 1 hour and I managed pretty well, but found that within 2 sets I was dying out and quick.  Today was a HUGE step in the right direction.  My goal was to complete 200 pull ups in under 30 minutes.  Seems a bit ambitious, considering I only performed 175 pull ups in one hour last week?  Of course, but I wanted to really challenge myself and stay razor sharp in my focus.

So, today, I started with 1 minute rest between each attempt and begin by doing 10 reps at a time.  I figured I could maybe...just maybe...do 20 sets of 10 pull ups.  And, boy was I successful for the first 5 sets.  I was cranking 'em out and owning every last one.  Come set 6 though, I was dying out.  So, I backed off my amount of reps to 5 reps with 1 minute rest.

After doing a handful of 5 reps with 1 minute rest, I was becoming too anxious between sets to jump in.  So, I decreased my rest time to 30 seconds.  Whew!  That turned up the heat and I was beginning to tire out again.

At about the 19 minute mark, I completed 100 pull ups total!  A new record!  I was ecstatic about that, but by then I was praying to get some more strength and endurance.  I just did the best I could and wrapped up with 155 reps total.

Next week, my goal is to increase that amount by 10%, so that totals 170 pull ups in 30 minutes.

By the time I can master 200 in 30 minutes, I believe it's time to step up my game and cut the time in half for 100 pull ups in 15 minutes.  Eventually being able to perform 20 at a time would be ideal, then increase that to 30 at a time.  After that, I will perform 40 at a time, then 50.  Slowly gaining ground to 100 total.

On my final day, I will have this video taped with a person to hit my clicker as I perform each good rep.  I'd like to shoot for a time based goal to perform the 100 reps in, but until I can perform 100 reps straight, I will have to hash that out later.

-Dale L. Roberts
One Jacked Monkey



You should consult a qualified medical professional before starting this or any other health & fitness program.  As with any exercise or diet program, if at any time you experience any discomfort, pain or duress of any sort, stop immediately and consult your physician.  The creators, producers, participants, advertisers and distributors of this program disclaim any liabilities or losses in connection with the exercises or advice herein.  Any equipment or workout area that is used should be thoroughly inspected as free of danger, flaw or compromise, ahead of use and the user assumes all responsibility when performing any movements contained in this blog.

Day 7: 1 week close

This concludes my first week into my 100 day journey toward completing 100 pull ups straight without rest and I'm pretty excited about the steps I've taken so far to insure victory.  Tomorrow will be the true test to see if I have made some gains in the endurance aspect.  I'm going to shoot for an abbreviated version of day 1's routine since I will be making it 30 minutes, but trying to break 200 in that time period.  It's a bit ambitious, but I'm feeling pretty rested up today.

All I focused on today was 30 minutes of cardio (10 minutes each on the treadmill, elliptical and recumbent bike) and some isometric pull holds.  I grabbed a seated position on the ground with my legs crossed and put the cable pulley just slightly out of reach overhead.  I grasped the handle with one hand, elbow in front of the shoulder bent at a right angle.   Each hold was for 30 seconds and I would switch off quickly between arms.  After doing one set, I switched the pin select to a different weight.  Read below:

Weight	Time
32.5	30 seconds hold on each arm
37.5	30 seconds hold on each arm
42.5	30 seconds hold on each arm
47.5	30 seconds hold on each arm
52.5	30 seconds hold on each arm
57.5	30 seconds hold on each arm
62.5	30 seconds hold on each arm
67.5	30 seconds hold on each arm
57.5	30 seconds hold on each arm
62.5	30 seconds hold on each arm
52.5	30 seconds hold on each arm
57.5	30 seconds hold on each arm
47.5	30 seconds hold on each arm

The colors are indicative of the effort.  I was shaking pretty good by 57.5 and when I reached the max at 67.5, I was shaking and burning like crazy.  This seemed like an easy enough concept at first, but the longer I went into it, the more I discovered that it was challenging half way through my 15 minute routine.  

Join me tomorrow for an update on the start of week 2 in my journey to 100 pull ups!

-Dale L. Roberts

One Jacked Monkey

You should consult a qualified medical professional before starting this or any other health & fitness program.  As with any exercise or diet program, if at any time you experience any discomfort, pain or duress of any sort, stop immediately and consult your physician.  The creators, producers, participants, advertisers and distributors of this program disclaim any liabilities or losses in connection with the exercises or advice herein.  Any equipment or workout area that is used should be thoroughly inspected as free of danger, flaw or compromise, ahead of use and the user assumes all responsibility when performing any movements contained in this blog.

Day 6: Back in Business

Well, I was right, my body and mind needed a bit of a respite from the gym and was much in need of a great night's rest.  Therein lies the problem of having so much on my plate that is so great and has so much to be excited for that I don't get enough sleep.

Today was a priority leg training day.  Go to this link to see the post on December 7th, 2014 for what I did and how effective it was.  Whew, it was a doozy, but well worth it.  No chicken legs for this man, thank you.

After an hour of leg priority training, I switched gears and jumped into some isometric pull exercises.  My theory behind this type of training is to develop sustained endurance, so that if I feel I'm dying out on a set of pull ups, I can literally hold a position, recover and continue on without incident.  This type of training gets the heartrate up and pumps the back and bis full of some nutrient rich blood.  I love that side effect, 'cause ain't gonna lie...big back equals awesome as hell!

Time:  15 minutes
Equipment:  Lat Pulldown (see pics)
Method:  Hold in fully flexed position for 30 seconds, rest for 30 seconds (repeat x15)
Set 1-3:  190lbs
Set 4-6:  175lbs.
Set 7:  160lbs.
Set 8:  145lbs.
Set 9:  130lbs.
Set 10:  115lbs.  








-Dale L. Roberts
One Jacked Monkey

You should consult a qualified medical professional before starting this or any other health & fitness program.  As with any exercise or diet program, if at any time you experience any discomfort, pain or duress of any sort, stop immediately and consult your physician.  The creators, producers, participants, advertisers and distributors of this program disclaim any liabilities or losses in connection with the exercises or advice herein.  Any equipment or workout area that is used should be thoroughly inspected as free of danger, flaw or compromise, ahead of use and the user assumes all responsibility when performing any movements contained in this blog.

Day 5: Off

Though I had all the intentions in the world, I had little of the follow through needed to complete a sound workout.  I'm the kinda guy that pushes and pushes until I cannot push anymore and I believe that this day, I was successful in doing the latter.

I got myself up to the gym and despite having less than my usual sleep, I was going to attempt my workout to the best of my abilities.  Unfortunately, that didn't amount to much of anything.  I warmed up on the treadmill and even started into a set of walking lunges with 25lbs. dumbbells, but I just wasn't 100%.  I racked the weights, went home and at a good meal.

Thankfully, I was right on the money.  I went to bed shortly after 9pm and didn't rise until after 7:45am.

My body feels great and mind is a lot sharper.  Thankfully I start the day out with a massage.

Day 6 should prove to be pretty good.  I will focus on pull holds.  See you in 24 hours!

-Dale L. Roberts
One Jacked Monkey

You should consult a qualified medical professional before starting this or any other health & fitness program.  As with any exercise or diet program, if at any time you experience any discomfort, pain or duress of any sort, stop immediately and consult your physician.  The creators, producers, participants, advertisers and distributors of this program disclaim any liabilities or losses in connection with the exercises or advice herein.  Any equipment or workout area that is used should be thoroughly inspected as free of danger, flaw or compromise, ahead of use and the user assumes all responsibility when performing any movements contained in this blog.

Day 4: Priority Day

I threw back a sample pack of GAT's Nitroflex (or something like that) Blue Raspberry.  Admittedly, I have been a strict fan of Advocare over the past couple of years, but have found my eyes wandering around to find some other alternatives that may change up my workouts.  Some products have been worthy, others...not so much.  This one has a questionable taste, but I felt the tingles within minutes of drinking it.  Now, it's time to go hit this shit!  Priority day (night, technically 'cause it's 9:30pm)...

My main focus today was a quick hit-and-split with the obvious priority on just pull ups.  I really try to avoid getting so swept up in accomplishing the goal of 100 pull ups in 100 days.  A fine line between focused and obsessed.  One can be healthy and the other consuming.  I'd rather get to my goal safely and on time versus never and injured.  The next 3 days I'm going to focus a little more lightly on some isometric holds with varied resistances.  Stay tuned over the next few days.

Warm-up:  Treadmill - 3.5mph @ 5.0% incline for 10 minutes
Mid-grip (angled in)
30 minutes with 2 minutes rest between each attempt
Total reps:  108

I started out with 12 reps on my first 2 attempts.  After that it was a handful of 8s and then finished out with 6s.  I found a couple of times my natural tendency to want to kip up (using the lower body for an upward thrust that gives some momentum), but I made a conscious choice to kick back the number of reps I was performing per attempt.

The pre-workout drink was ok, I really didn't notice much effects at all.  After the workout I threw back a whey shake, post-workout (by GAT, too) and prepped a vegan burger with fresh kale as a wrap.  Time to relax a little and call it a night.  See you tomorrow!

-Dale L. Roberts
One Jacked Monkey

You should consult a qualified medical professional before starting this or any other health & fitness program.  As with any exercise or diet program, if at any time you experience any discomfort, pain or duress of any sort, stop immediately and consult your physician.  The creators, producers, participants, advertisers and distributors of this program disclaim any liabilities or losses in connection with the exercises or advice herein.  Any equipment or workout area that is used should be thoroughly inspected as free of danger, flaw or compromise, ahead of use and the user assumes all responsibility when performing any movements contained in this blog.

Day 3

Monday, November 10, 2014 - 3 days in, 97 left to go

Today was a push priority day, so I spent about 50 minutes on warm-up and push exercises.  I try not to go to heavy in volume and just go for good form and technique.  I swell up quicker in my upper body than my lower body, so I am cautious about overdoing the upper especially with this 100 pull ups goal. I'd rather get great at that than the push element.  So, maintenance work in my pushes is my primary goal on these days.  Put in the work with push movements, get a good pump, have the heart work a little, breathe heavy, sweat heavier and feel good.  It's important to know where your weakness is in the gym and attack it.  Beyond this 100 day stretch, I will re-evaluate and put more emphasis on a leg-driven goal.  For now...

Warm-up - Treadmill - 10 minutes - 5.0% incline @ 3.5mph - increase incline 1.0% every minute, kick it up to 15.0% at 9 minutes.  And, 40 minutes on push exercises.

(push workout will be posted on November 23rd, 2014 at this link)

Assisted Pull up Machine

Inside Grips

Single Arm Pull up w/ 115lb. assist

5 reps each arm for 8 sets, completing both sides for a full set

1 minute rest between sets

Total time:  16 minutes

Whew, this was easy enough at first, but it became a bit more challenging as I progressed.  My right side was becoming a bit tight and more fatigued than my left.  I guess this is no surprise seeing as how I am left-handed.  I'm very happy with my efforts thus far.  Tomorrow will be another priority pull up day.  Say a prayer for me!  Haha

-Dale L. Roberts

One Jacked Monkey

You should consult a qualified medical professional before starting this or any other health & fitness program.  As with any exercise or diet program, if at any time you experience any discomfort, pain or duress of any sort, stop immediately and consult your physician.  The creators, producers, participants, advertisers and distributors of this program disclaim any liabilities or losses in connection with the exercises or advice herein.  Any equipment or workout area that is used should be thoroughly inspected as free of danger, flaw or compromise, ahead of use and the user assumes all responsibility when performing any movements contained in this blog.

Day 2

I woke up with mild soreness in my lats/mid-back and quite a bit of soreness in my abs & obliques.  One of my favorite parts about chasing after a goal is the additional benefits that come along with going on the journey to the goal.  If I get better, more firm abdominals in the process, then I'm a happy man.

Today, I focused on something that'd be a bit lower intensity than yesterday AND workout my normally scheduled program.  Today was leg day and I knew I did not want to take anything away from gaining some size on my chicken legs.  Despite my goal of getting to 100 pull ups in 100 days, I still want to prioritize my workouts to gaining size on my legs.  It's just essential, otherwise, I'm going to look top heavy and a bit of a joke in my line of work as a fitness consultant.

So today went like so:

Warm-up:  10 minutes on the stepmill - start at speed 5 and increase 1 notch every 2 minutes.
Leg workout for 35 minutes

Complimenting pull movement of the day:
Inverted rows (on the smith machine)
10 repetitions at the top of every minute for 17 minutes
Fast, wide grip
Total repetitions in 17 minutes:  170 repetitions

See you in 1 day!
-Dale L. Roberts
One Jacked Monkey

You should consult a qualified medical professional before starting this or any other health & fitness program.  As with any exercise or diet program, if at any time you experience any discomfort, pain or duress of any sort, stop immediately and consult your physician.  The creators, producers, participants, advertisers and distributors of this program disclaim any liabilities or losses in connection with the exercises or advice herein.  Any equipment or workout area that is used should be thoroughly inspected as free of danger, flaw or compromise, ahead of use and the user assumes all responsibility when performing any movements contained in this blog.

Day 1: Setup & start

November 8, 2014   (finish date February 16, 2015)

Today I begin the journey to achieving 100 pull-ups straight without rest.  I currently can squeeze out about 10-15 pull ups without rest, but tend to tire out about 8-9 repetitions into performing the pull ups.

Form:
1)  Zero momentum, so that means no kipping up or using my body to thrust myself into position.  I'll leave that type of form to the hardcore crossfit enthusiasts.
2)  My legs dangle directly below me at all times
3)  I start with my arms completely extended over my head and my shoulder blades pinched back
4)  I stop when I have pulled myself up where my chin is above the pulling surface
5)  I exhale with every pull and inhale as I release the pull toward the ground

Every day I will be performing a movement that compliments my goal of increasing my strength endurance in pull ups.  So, I'll vary grip, pace, number of repetitions and intensity.  Other movements that are modifications or assist in gaining ground on my way to 100 pull ups will be implemented.  Stay tuned!
--------------------
Warm-up - Treadmill - 5.0% incline @ 3.5mph for 10min.

Pull-ups for 1 hour
Narrow grip
Complete maximum amount of pull ups without breaking form then rest for 2 minutes
Total count:  175

175 repetitions completed in 1 hour

Post workout

-Dale L Roberts

One Jacked Monkey, LLC


















You should consult a qualified medical professional before starting this or any other health & fitness program.  As with any exercise or diet program, if at any time you experience any discomfort, pain or duress of any sort, stop immediately and consult your physician.  The creators, producers, participants, advertisers and distributors of this program disclaim any liabilities or losses in connection with the exercises or advice herein.  Any equipment or workout area that is used should be thoroughly inspected as free of danger, flaw or compromise, ahead of use and the user assumes all responsibility when performing any movements contained in this blog.