I've been in a very small town in North Central Colorado called Walden, population 240, for the past month and a half. There isn't a gym for hours in any direction, so I decided to take up the 10,000 Kettlebell Swing Challenge which is exactly what it sounds like. Fucking hell. Doing 500 kettlebell swings a day, in an undulating set pattern (50 swings, 25 swings, 15, then 10, then repeat, with limited strength exercises in between each set), has proven to be one of the most miserable but oddly addicting and grit-testing challenges I've ever embarked on. The first day, I did 500 kettlebell swings in 44 minutes and 30 seconds. I almost quit, twice. Very seriously, I thought this was a dumb idea. But I remembered a quote from the originator of this challenge, Dan John, which went, Which is some of the best advice I've ever heard. So often my 1am resolutions to read more, exercise, quit smoking, write, they go unheeded in the daylight hours. It's because I don't keep the goal the goal. The goal changes. Because I finished that first day, which I'm so thankful I did, I managed to complete each day's worth of 500 swings each time I started. And yesterday, I amazed myself with a time of 19:58. Essentially non-stop kettlebell swings, with wall-assisted 14 handstand push-ups throughout each "cluster", for a total of 500 kettlebell swings with a 45 lbs bell and 70 handstand push-ups, in under 20 minutes.The goal is to keep the goal the goal.
Is there something similar to that I can do with dumbbells? I am about to enter an extended period of being unable to run or bike due to the cold. I have a bench and some dumbbells, but my shoulder has gone funny and I can't use the bench without twinges. So it's down to dumbbells, pushups and core exercises to keep me sane til spring. My current process is haphazard and I'd like concrete goals. Preferably not so simple as just 'fifty curls a day' but if that's what I end up doing, so be it.
Have you considered snowshoeing? It isn't as intense as running or biking, but it's an awesome way to stay active in the cold.
That is what bandanas are for man. Wrap one of those around your nose and mouth and you will breathe nothing but warm air. I use one when I am skiing in anything like 0F/-20C weather and it can even get too warm so you have to pull it down for a bit.
Be careful. I had shoulder twinges from benching too much back in December, and it turned out to be bicep tendinitis. For me, when I would lock out, my rotator cuff wasn't strong enough to keep my humerus in my shoulder socket for the last little push. Doing a massive number of pull-ups didn't help. You should probably look into strengthening you rotator cuff some, and make sure you are balancing pushing and pulling exercises. If it gets worse, go see a doctor or a PT. In the meantime, when you are doing push-ups, try to keep you hands along the line between your nipples, that will put less stress on that part of your shoulder.
Interesting, thank you. Like many American children, I also threw some half a million pitches before the age of 18, all without any real knowledge of stretching, rest, etc. So I suspect my days as a real bodybuilder were over before they began. I have been kicking around the idea of a few sessions with a PT but have never done anything of that sort so I'm not sure where to start. I'll look into it.