Gym Diary: Oct. 25, 2011

Boxers build muscles for protection, not sex appeal. Taking body shots without folding requires working on your abs and obliques till they’re harder than rock. Hence the daily regimen of at least 500 crunches with all sorts of twists, raises and variations to prevent boredom and stagnation.

Today we went even harder than usual, almost double the normal reps. The corkscrews were especially difficult since they came last, but also the most rewarding. They involve lying on your back with your legs straight up in the air, then raising your hips and twisting. Rodriguez reminded me that just a few months ago I couldn’t even do one.

Lunch is often the cost of working full-time, training and running a second website on the side. As usual, I realized after the newspaper deadline that I hadn’t eaten all day. So when the girlfriend offered to bring home Bojangles at 5pm I foolishly said yes. One half-eaten sausage biscuit and two pieces of chicken later I realized I’d made a serious mistake, delaying the workout 20 minutes and costing me three rounds. I guess my training diet is the next thing that needs some work.