Awake

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Though posting in the middle of the night or early in the morning isn't too unusual for me, this morning is a bit of an exception because I was off on Saturday night/this morning. I actually woke up a couple of hours ago feeling pretty crummy, sporting a migraine. I've actually had a headache in some form most days here lately. I've also noticed a lot of muscle soreness and joint pain, even lots of "popping" here and there. Though I am accustomed to the regular ache and pain of a joint here or there, this has been more persistent and weird somehow. I have tight muscles and creaks and crackles where I am unaccustomed to them and have for weeks now. This comes despite my having added some Z-health and range of motion to what I do. I have been meticulous about form to make sure that isn't the issue. And I have rolled it over and over in my mind. Two things stick out...I am not hydrating as well as usual. During this move, it's just slipped by the wayside. AND...my nutrition has been pretty crappy. WAY more processed carbohydrates than I am accustomed to....HMMMM. Interesting. Will update when I adjust the nutrition. Any thoughts from anyone else?

TODAY'S WORKOUT:
AMAP sets of 5 double 16k squats/double 16kg C&P/green and black band assisted pullups in 12 minutes=3
AMAP sets of 5 double 16k high pull/5 hanging leg raises in 5 min in 12 min=7
All but the squats and high pulls felt particularly strong today. I was generating pretty good tension in the c&p and was very happy with that.

YESTERDAY'S WORKOUT:
AMAP set of 1/1 12k TGU in 15 min=20, focusing on form, especially a good high hip bridge.
AMAP sets of 20 16kg swings in 12 min, I think this was 13.
I had forgotten how much nicer it is to do TGU's inside on level flooring. :)

Do-Overs

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Life decisions have this way of causing me undue stress. I labor over them. I write lists of pros and cons. I drive my friends crazy talking the decision over and over as I try to decide what would be best. I talk to my hubby. I talk to my dad. I talk to my mom. I talk to my siblings. I am alternately sullen and annoyingly talkative about the subject. Generally, I am obnoxious. I think I get this way because I feel like each life decision sets in motion a series of events that have potential to put life on an unalterable course. And that inability to alter the course is what scares me. At times, the fear can be paralyzing, keeping me from making a decision and moving forward.

To some degree, I even have this difficulty with workout and nutrition plans. I tend to be afraid of losing strength or making gains or losses in the wrong places. Over the last week, I've thought a lot about this paralytic fear of decision making that I have, and I've realized that life is actually full of do-overs. Just because I took a right turn a mile back, doesn't mean I won't have another fork in the road later on. I might lose some strength here, or gain a few pounds there, but in the process, if I keep my eyes open and my ear to the ground, I will learn. With that knowledge, then, I can make a better decision next time. To learn, though, I have to keep moving forward. There's only so much knowledge to pick up here.

TODAY'S WORKOUT: VO2 max: 12k. first 44 sets, 7 reps, then 6 reps on the remainder of 80. For 4 random sets my timing was off and I only got 5. This is a direct result of 2 things...piss-poor fuel lately, especially yesterday, and where I am in my hormone cycle. I've noticed a serious dip in strength and endurance about 7-10 days before my period that usually lasts about a week. (Sorry, fellas, but I thought the girls might find this an interesting observation.

YESTERDAY'S WORKOUT: This was intended to be about twice as long, but I had "bidness" to take care of and it ate up my time before work. I started to ditch the workout all together, but thought better of it.
15 min of AMAP rounds of 5 (green and black band assisted)pullups/4 perfect pushups=8, same as last week but didn't feel nearly as strong as last week's did.

SUNDAY: OFF

Stressors

Sunday, November 29, 2009
weight unknown (see more later)

In medical school psychiatric training we discovered an interesting fact about stressors. Not only are bad things considered stressors, but so are good things. For instance, when assigning points to stressors to "score" a patient, getting married ranks fairly similarly to getting a divorce or death of a loved one (no snide remarks here, folks). It's been a while, and I don't use this scoring system now, so I can't give you exact numbers on the scale, but I remember their close proximity on it because it fascinated me. If you think about it, this makes sense. Good events are, well, good, but they do cause a fair amount of change and effort on an individual's part. Even with good things come some anxiety. And we all respond a little differently to our stressors.

I. am. a. stress. eater. Big surprise, I know, but it's true. Life is one stressor after another, and with any luck the good ones balance the bad. Sometimes, though, even the usual stress load tips in the direction of overwhelming, and something has to give somewhere. The last couple of months have seemed to tip that load, both with good and with less-than-good things. On the tail end of Mom and Dad's visit, and my partial regression to childhood eating habits then, my response to the stress has been less than ideal. My nutrition has been poor. My focus on my workouts has been lacking, and I find myself feeling a bit too snug in my clothes. I also find myself wondering why I couldn't be one of those people whose response to stress is lack of appetite.

Today has been the first day in weeks that I haven't broken down and binged on something or had way too many processed carbohydrates. I still have 3 hours before bed, but I'll count that as a victory.

Soar With Eagles or Roost With Turkeys

Monday, November 16, 2009
167.5#

A recurrent theme of conversation in our household of late has been the importance of keeping good company. I suspect most of us have heard of the concept of "playing" someone better to become better. That is to say, competing against a more skilled opponent. Business moguls apply this to business theory. Academics apply it to advanced thought. We, at home, have been applying it to friendships. True to form, I have been thinking about it in terms of how it applies to every aspect of my life.
To some degree, we are a collection of the people with whom we have come into contact throughout our lives.We learn from them, draw from them, absorb them, in ways that are often completely unconscious. Obviously, the more we are around someone, the more we absorb from them. One would think we incorporate little from strangers we only briefly encounter, but sometimes this assumption does not hold true. After living in the socially toxic culture that is Memphis, I was much less tolerant of the "little things." I was impatient and critical because that was the attitude I had learned to "throw back" at the total strangers who could interact on no other level. I have learned to grow past that point in my life, but I see now that I am a collection of the people I love. I know who gave me my love of the outdoors, who showed me that exercise could be playtime for adults, who taught me generosity and compassion, who emphasized attention to detail, and I carry a piece of them and all the others who have influenced me with me everywhere I go.
Realizing this fact, though, I had to examine the full nature of what I might be absorbing from the ones I choose to make a part of my life. With this has come some harsh reality. I have been examining my life on a much deeper level, looking through this particular "lens," and what I see has surprised me a bit. I am trying to adjust accordingly, and at times this can be exhausting.

WORKOUT:
As many as possible sets of 12kg snatches 12 right/12 left in 15 minutes...Today this was 9
rest 3 min
As many as possible sets of purple and black band assisted pullups alternated with 4 perfect pushups in 15 minutes. The pullups were supposed to be 5, but I couldn't get 5 good ones, so I went down to 4 then realized I needed to go down to 3. got 7 sets total.

Workshops, Workshops, Workshops!

Sunday, November 8, 2009
169# (Yes, I have eaten everything that wasn't nailed down.)

Hardstyle Ventura

Though I knew it had been a while since I checked in, I was astounded when I pulled up my blog and realized 3 weeks had passed since my last post. Good grief, life flies by! My last post addressed the then-upcoming Hardstyle Ventura workshop on October 24th. That post was optimistic, but unfortunately, falsely so. My personal battle with performance anxiety again became an issue as I was firmly STUCK at the very bottom of a pullup--a dead hang. I was going exactly NO WHERE the whole day of the workshop. If I were a man, I'm quite certain I would never have sex because undoubtedly I would have the world's worse case of erectile dysfunction. I mean, REALLY! I was supremely frustrated and disappointed. I think this frustration and my not wanting to face it are most of why it has taken me 3 weeks to address the workshop on the blog. With time, though, I have come to grips with the positive aspects of the weekend including coming away with some solid information, finally meeting some longtime internet friends (Joey Williams and Nikki Shlosser) face-to-face, seeing old friends, and making new ones. In many ways too, I am proud of not backing down despite my frustrations. Most of the people there could already do a pistol and at least one solid pull up. Many could do multiples without batting an eyelash. They were there to refine. Being there was easy for them. I, however, had to fight the embarrassment of being the lowest man on the totem pole, the remedial student. I am not accustomed to that position. Despite my discomfort, however, I stuck it out. I made sure to be the first to the bar, the first back to the learning circle, the first to try. Of that, I am proud.
Then I went out and got drunk to completely squash my insecurities. Nikki joined me:)

On Saturday I hosted Senior RKC Sara Cheatham for a one day workshop on kettlebells and Z-health. We covered a metric buttload of information, and I tried to do my best sponge interpretation. This gal knows her stuff and knows how to convey that knowledge to others. If you ever get a chance to go to her workshop, take it no questions asked.

TODAY'S WORKOUT:

5 Rounds of:

Black and Purple band assisted pullup to a hold with slow negative

5 perfect push ups

partial pistol 1/1

rest 1 min

20kg TGU 1/1 x 2

16kg Tabata snatches

30 burpees in 4'39"

Small Epiphany

Monday, October 19, 2009

165#

I think that sometimes we cruise along oblivious to change. Sometimes that change is around us. Sometimes it is within us. Perhaps we are too busy evaluating other areas of our lives, scrutinizing them, trying to change them, that we miss important changes in other areas, changes that are really right under our noses.

In a lot of ways I have been a small bit of an emotional basketcase lately--for no reason at all really, except that estrogen is a bitch. As always, at least a piece of this dissatisfaction manifested itself in a frustration with how I look. A few days ago, though, I tried the pullup with only the black (~10-15#) band for assistance and darn near got my chest to the bar (My chin was there for sure)...almost got a full pullup with only that little bit of assistance, so I was dancing around, playing with my workout buddy, and generally being a fool when I started thinking about the workshop this weekend and how maybe, just maybe, with a little tweak in form I could do a full pullup this weekend (!). I have been quite excited, actually, about the possibilities this weekend holds for me both during the weekend itself and later as I apply the principles I hope to learn and come closer to mastering. As I was thinking about the almost pull up and the possibilities of the weekend, it hit me, that teeny epiphany, that small glimmer of personal insight. My journey has changed its course. In the beginning of the journey, I desperately wanted the aesthetic benefits. They were the focus of thought and planning while other, more performance-oriented goals, were secondary benefits I knew would come. I have by no means reached my aesthetic goals. On the contrary, I find my being so far from them a constant source of frustration. But...I find myself more concerned with losing the 25 or 30 extra pounds I need to lose more because doing so will most definitely make pull ups easier. Heck, if I were currently that light I'd be doing pull-ups! I find myself thinking more about the day I can do multiple pistols and pull ups and push ups at will than the day I look rockin' awesome in a bikini. Maybe that is more because right now the pull ups and pistols seem more attainable, but I like to think it's because in some small part, I have changed and come to see that function is way more fun than form.

TODAY'S WORKOUT: 5 5-rung ladders of black and purple-band assisted pull ups and perfect elevated pushups.

Between rungs:

1st ladder-knee together squats with one-legged pulses at the bottom.

2nd ladder-partial pistols 1/1

3rd ladder-plank x 30 sec

4th ladder-knee together squats, laddered reps

5th ladder- 4 burpees

Finished with 16 burpees.

YESTERDAY'S WORKOUT: 75 Burpees, 5 min of 16kg snatches (80).

SATURDAY: No workout

FRIDAY'S WORKOUT: 5 rounds of

20kg press 2/2 Double 16kg press x 2

I'm getting 2 strict 20kg presses on the left for 3 rounds usually, then having to go to a push-press for one of the presses. On the right, I can do two strict presses for 1-3 rounds. I'm still not back to where I was with this before the pneumonia, but I'm getting there.

20kg Goblet squat x 5

Perfect pushup x 3

double 16kg OL Dead 3/3

High Plank x 30 sec

Burpee x 5

After the 5 rounds, I did 8 burpees to get my challenge numbers for the day then did 20kg Tabata swings.

THURSDAY'S WORKOUT: See today's workout, but add 45 burpees to the end.

WEDNESDAY: No workout.

TUESDAY'S WORKOUT: See Friday's workout, add 5 burpees at the end of the 5 rounds, and add 2 12kg TGu per side to the end.

Heart Attack Grill

Sunday, October 11, 2009

http://www.heartattackgrill.com/media.html

Maybe some of you have come across this place before now, but my first exposure to the Heart Attack Grill (see link above), was tonight at work when I walked by the television playing the Travel Channel as I was going to the restroom. At first I couldn't figure out what they were talking about but I hung around until I did. Burgers were smothered in cheese and mayonnaise. Instead of a salad bar, they have a french fry bar on which the fries are cooked in lard. People over 350 pounds eat free--every day. I was fairly taken aback, honestly, but then I applauded the owner for his originality. His was a marketing strategy to do what he can to make a buck. I get it, and "it" is brilliant. As they interviewed the patrons, however, I was disheartened. As one would expect, they were all corpulent, but they were also deluded and complacent, often stating in their brief interviews that they were glad they were already on cholesterol medicine.

I wonder, though, if these restaurant patrons even remotely begin to understand that even one meal like this has an immediate effect on their system. We tend to think of things like our nutritional intake in the cumulative, and ultimately, that is the most important thing. I, like most active and health-oriented people, believe in the mental health behind an occasional "cheat day" or "cheat meal." Complete glutinous debauchery like this, however, can have immediate ramifications. Within minutes of completing a high fat meal like this, our body is bombarded with its contents and is forced to deal with them. For some, the result is fat-laden blood like this (you might remember this pic from last year on my blog):

The blood on the right is what blood is supposed to look like after it's gone through the centrifuge. The blood on the left is the blood of a woman who had, in the last few hours, had a high fat meal. That stuff that looks like a cream layer on the top?...it's, well, a cream layer, a layer of fat on her blood, fat that was dispersed in the blood before the centrifuge.

How well do you think that blood functions? How smoothly do you think it flows through the tiny vessels of your heart, brain, kidneys, feet, and eyes? It functions so poorly in so many ways, in fact, that research is showing that the hours following a meal like one at the Heart Attack Grill actually show an increase in heart attacks (http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0813/is_n4_v21/ai_15224643/).

Please don't misunderstand me. I appreciate capitalism and originality. I think the fellow who came up with this concept is absolutely brilliant, and I wouldn't picket or protest his business. Heck, I might even visit it on a cheat day. :) I wish, though, that ours was a world where a concept like this would wither and die for lack of business while the parking lot in front became the town's rowdiest tire-flipping, kettlebell swinging, rope flinging gathering place of people.

TODAY'S WORKOUT WAS A SHORT ONE: 6 minutes of 16kg snatches, 30 burpees.

YESTERDAY'S WORKOUT: See the press/squat/push up/dead/plank/burpee workout above...BUT I got 3 (count them...THREE rounds of 2/2 strict presses with the 20kg!). I had to add some burpees to total correctly for the burpee challenge, too.