Goals

Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Off--162#

Ultimate Goal: 140#
Intermediate Goal: 153# by October 24th.

Why October 24th you say? Well, you see, I've decided to go to Pavel's bodyweight workshop in Ventura on the 24th. He's going to be focusing on the very things I've been working so hard to master for months now, the things I will need to have mastered to complete the RKC II as planned next June. 153# will put me back to where I was for the RKC last October and 10# closer to that unassisted pullup.

Goals do us little good without a distinct plan for reaching them. There are few times we would start out on a trip across country with no route in mind. So let's talk a little about the goals and the route.

Step 1: Continue current workouts at least 5x/week.
Step 2: Ratchet Nutrition
a. Warrior Diet: I've been trying for the last couple of months to get the Zone Diet dialed in. I really like the science of this particular plan of action, and would really like to be able to follow it. Ultimately, though, the best plan is the one I will follow. The constant grazing sort of approach to the Zone doesn't work well with my psyche. Right now, the frequent meals start well then degrade to eating crap. Maybe eventually, I'll be able to come back to this process and master it, but right now it's not working, so I need to adjust and change gears. Like Mr. Gallagher says in The Purposeful Primitive, there is nothing wrong with rotating plans. This rotation will be for the Warrior Diet.
1. One splurge day a week for the first 2 weeks.
*Upon successful completion of each week, which means having limited myself to one splurge day and having followed the principles of the Warrior Diet (for me, the large meal is at the beginning of my day because of logistics each and every day, I may get something from my list of things that I would like to have: another pair of Five Fingers, a new pair of sunglasses, a new Under Armour Shirt, Anything from my favorite store in the mall .
2. One splurge day every two weeks for the month following that. For every successful two weeks span, another purchase.
3. Reevaluate at the end of that 6 weeks. After a successful 2 months, I can get the inkpen I've been ogling.
**Note that "success" is not defined as acheiving any weight loss; it is defined as following the plan.

Now for some happy...

This, my friends, is a rock bottom squat.

His big brothers and sisters love him like crazy.

WORKOUT:
5 4-rung ladders of back and purple band assisted pullups/Elevated Perfect pushups.
During the first 3 ladders, between rungs, I did partial pistols counterbalanced with the 12kg. One on each side.
During the last 2 ladders, I did 30 sec planks between each rung.

Then I did 30 Challenge Burpees in approximately 4 min. (I forgot to start the timer right away.)
Followed that with 20kg Tabata swings.

YESTERDAY'S WORKOUT:
I dragged my ass out of bed too late to do an organized workout before work, so I took a 16kg bell to work and did Essentials once there and once when I got home.

MONDAY'S WORKOUT:
20kg C&PP x 2, 16kg C&P x 3--R then L
Perfect Pushups Elevated x 5
10 20kg Walking lunges.
Double 20kg Deadlifts x 5
Plank x 30sec
Rest 2 min.
Repeat 5x: The first press on the L with the 20 was a strict press on all 5 rounds. Rounds 2 and 5 on the right I was able to do a strict press with the 20 on the first rep.

Then 30 challenge burpees in 6'28".

SUNDAY=Scheduled off day.

The Process of Making Up One's...okay MY... Mind

Saturday, June 20, 2009
off-162.5#

That 162.5 up there is a very frustrating number for me. It is what it is. It is the culmination of poor decisions made. It is too many dinners including bread. It's too many treats and too many meals eaten out. It is keeping my nutrition just enough in check that it doesn't go up any further but failing to dial it in with the type of precision necessary to ratchet it down further. And I've been thinking quite a lot about that failure, what motivates it, and what hinders me from getting past it. As with everything, I know there are multiple factors there. One of the biggest is laziness--pure and simple. It is easier, by far, not to worry about getting groceries in preparation to cook meals before I go to work which then requires the washing of dishes. It is easier to go out and let someone else do all the work. Even if I do make the most sane decisions possible when I eat out, the ingredients are suboptimal at best.

As I thought about my laziness, though, accepting it as the major reason for my failure just wasn't feeling right. I can overcome laziness--all I have to do is see light at the end of a tunnel. It can be a REALLY long tunnel; there just has to be light at the end of it. And therein lies the key. It occurred to me the other night that I do not see light. Somehow I just don't believe that I can get there. (There being 140#.) The tunnel is nothing but dark. In the times when I have completely hunkered down and weighed every last ounce of food that I've eaten, planned every move, followed the sage advice of those wiser than I (despite what they believed), the effort made little to no difference. Why would this time, should I finally crank it all down, be any different? If I don't truly try, I can't truly be disappointed.

And that realization brings to light what I believe is one of the other issues...complacency. Though I am not purely pleased with where I am, I am not as ashamed of it as I was two years ago in June, and I believe that hinders me in that it makes things harder. My diet was easier to make effective adjustments to, and my body was slightly more responsive. And it seems to make me less motivated for somewhat apparent reasons. A more positive influence on this complacency is my strength gains which have been consistent enough to keep me from feeling like a total failure in this endeavor and without which I'm sure I'd have pulled out my hair by now.

Now the key is going to be going from this stage of uber-analysis to one of action, and consistent action. One thought has been that since I'm finding it difficult to believe in my power to reach 140 (or thereabouts), I could find another thing to motivate me to stay on task for a prescribed amount of time, a "prize" maybe. My last couple of workouts have been spent trying to come up with something to do just that. Maybe I'm over-blessed. I'm having trouble thinking of a prize. :)

On different note, here are some pics from home...

Anneliese was absorbed with making her Uncle a pic for me to bring back to him. She was unbelievably precise in what she wanted to accomplish.

My new nephew, the Duke. I call him that because his parents decided to bestow upon him the middle name of Marion.

You'd be surprised how frequently I inspire this response in people.

This was the most beautiful rainbow I have ever seen. I wish I'd had a 10mm or 17mm lens to get both ends of it. It was pure neon from end-to-end, both of which we could see. It also had like 6 or 7 plainly visible colors.

Again, a totally impromptu shot. I was holding the Duke when his big brother decided to climb up there at which point both big sisters had to join the pile. My big brother then grabbed my camera to catch it. Aren't they beautiful?!

TODAY'S WORKOUT:
Black and purple band Assisted pullups/elevated pushups
4, 4-rung ladders. (The 1rep rung, I did with just the purple band, and this was the first time I was able to do all the pushups elevated instead of having to drop to the knees.)

Assisted pistols: 3, 3-rung ladders interspersed between the rungs of pullups and pushups.
I actually ended up adding in 4 sets of 1/1 12kg counterbalanced attempts at pistols. I was feeling as if the assisted pistols weren't going much of anywhere,so I decided to try doing a pistol just with counterbalance. I can only get about a third of the way down, but I'm going to run with this instead of persisting with the assisted ones, and see how I progress from here.

4 30sec rounds of planks with 50 sec of rest b/w.

30 challenge burpees in 3'43"

20kg Tabata swings.

YESTERDAY'S WORKOUT: 80 Rounds of VO2 Max with the 12kg. The first 1/4 I hit 8 reps per round. The next 1/2 I hit 7 reps per round. Then much of the last 1/4th I only hit 6. Brutal.

Rest 5 min.
30 Challenge burpees in 9'40". YES THAT IS NINE MINUTES PLUS.

I actually didn't think I was going to get a workout in yesterday. I felt like doody for most of the day, but that passed about 1 am and I got outside and got busy. BTW, it's still really frikkin' hot at 1am. The air is rediculously still which is just WRONG when it's this hot.

Friends

Thursday, June 18, 2009
Off-162.5#

As far as friends go, I'm not a very good one to have. I am not very dependable. Reaching me by phone is nigh unto impossible. I am dedicated to a fault to my husband, and as a result, find little time to spend with my friends. I know this though I am not proud of it, and it is not likely something that will change.

Regardless of my own faults, I am blessed beyond measure to be surrounded--in the tangible world, in the cyber-world, and in a few instances where those worlds cross over,--with amazing and wonderful friends. I do not deserve them or their love but they give it regardless, and for that I am infinitely grateful. In May I spent some time with some of those friends in Tennessee and snapped pictures while I was there. I came away with some of my best images ever as far as I'm concerned.

This image was completely impromptu. We were spending the morning just hanging out in the back yard playing, them with one another, me with my camera. Jamie lay down with the baby on his stomach, and big sister grabbed her baby and did the same. It was too cute.

Here's an example of the difference it makes for me to do a little tweaking before a print is finished. The top is the rough edit while the second image is the final work. This image is complete in a way that few outsiders can understand. It contains the whole family with their home in the left of the background and their pavilion to the right background. They spend hours upon hours under than pavilion and in that yard.

WORKOUT:
5 rounds of...
20kg Clean & Push Press x 2, 16kg C&P x 3: Right then Left
5 perfect pushups--elevated in the first two rounds, from the knees in the last three.
20kg walking lunges x 10
Double 20kg Deads
Plank x 30
...I hit a strict C&P of the 20 on the left in 3 of the rounds, though not the first three as you would think. I also got a strict C&P of the 20 on the right for the first time in round 3. Why round three do you think and why didn't I hit the press on the left in the first 3 rounds? In a word, TENSION. I wasn't holding it as I should have been on the other rounds on the left, and I finally got it correct on the right. On that third round on the right, I set myself up, went through the motions without weight, holding perfect tension, feeling that weight go up. Then I immediately did it with the weight. It wasn't easy, but it went up--with tension.

I always wish I had some kettlebell buddies around. I miss the intellectual collaboration, the drive that we can instill in one another, the competition. You all are invaluable over the internet, but I wish I could teleport you to me on occasion. Today was one of those occasions. Undoubtedly, the tension would be a bit more consistent. :)

Rest 4 min
20kg Tabata swings
Rest 2 min
20kg Tabata swings
Rest 2 min
30 Challenge burpees in 3'45"

YESTERDAY'S WORKOUT: 30 minutes easy walking with Abbie. I actually started to do the above workout and got about 3 minutes into it before calling it quits. Hormone fluctuations got the best of me. I was weak and loose. I felt absolutely horrible. Rather than risk injury, I just moved on to a lighter workout. Seems like maybe it paid off.

D

Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Work--162.5#

During my last visit home I took part of a day and spent it with some of our chosen family as we like to call them. "Choosing" family is an artform that my husband has taught me. I am blessed to have a beautiful, amazing, wonderful given family, and I am further blessed with people who have given me the precious gift of their love and friendship. Friendship doesn't cover it though, because these particular guys have chosen to bring us into their world as the godparents of their children. I do miss them dearly. And D is getting SO big!

3 1/2 years old and mean with a bubble gun.

D "shoots" his soon-to-be little sister with bubbles.

WORKOUT: Another one of those days when I was running a little short on time. I had planned to do VO2 Max workout today, but alas I abbreviated it to this instead:

16kg Essentials

Rest 3 min.

5 min of 16kg snatches=71 (No grip aid/socks. Sweat is a bit of an issue at this point.)

Rest 3 min.

30 Challenge Burpees in 4'50"

YESTERDAY'S WORKOUT:

Black and Purple band assisted Pull ups/Elevated Push-ups

4 4-rung ladders: On the first rung of the first three ladders, I did purple-band (30- 50#) assistance only.

Assisted Pistols: 3 3-rung ladders. Interspersed in the first 3 pulllup ladders.

4 rounds of 30sec of Plank during the last pullup ladder.

30 Challenge Burpees.

...BTW, Mark September 26 open on your calendars. I've got a little bit of news coming soon.

Always Something

Sunday, June 14, 2009
Work--163#

I was going to post pics from my recent visit home today, I forgot the USB cord with which to connect the harddrive. Last week I forgot harddrive and all. Oh, well! I'll try to remember it tomorrow. I'll just post workouts and associated progress tonight.

WORKOUT: None today. It was a scheduled off day.

YESTERDAY'S WORKOUT:
16kg AOS Essentials
Rest 3 min
12kg AOS Essentials
Rest 3 min
8rounds of:
25sec Jump rope
50 sec rest
25 sec 20kg swings
50 sec rest
*I think I'll increase work to rest intervals on this particular workout.

FRIDAY'S WORKOUT:
C&PP 20kg x 2-C&P 16kg x 3 R, then L
***Was able to strict press the 20kg fot the first rep on the left for the 1st three rounds.
Never could get it to press on the right without a pushpress. When I finally do get that,
I'm going to get a new link for my Pandora bracelet.
Elevated Perfect Pushup x 5
Last 3 sets were from the knees.
20kg Walking Lunge x 10
Double 16kg Deadlift x 5
Plank x 30kg
Rest 2 min
x 5 rounds

Tabata halos with the BSB
20kg Tabata swings.
30 Challenge Burpees in 4'27"

THURSDAY'S WORKOUT: I was running low on time, so I only got in a little workout.
16kg Essentials
30 Challenge Burpees in 5'20"

WEDNESDAY'S WORKOUT:
Black and Purple Assisted Pullups/Elevated Pushups***
4 4-rung ladders

Pistols
3 3-rung ladders interspersed in the first 3 rounds of above.

In the last ladder of pullups/pushups, I did 25 sec plank b/w each rung.

30 challenge burpees for time in 5'26"
***My first pullup of the day was done with the purple band only. This is the first time I was able to do that.

General Bad-Assedness

Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Work--161#

A while back I mentioned that I was doing a lot of thinking about what Mr. Whitley terms "General Bad-Assedness," we'll use GBA for short. That thought process is an ongoing ever-changing one for me, and I think about it frequently.

First, let me say that there are many forms of bad-assedness including the actions and self-sacrifice of good parents, spouses, civil servants, soldiers and many others. I could go on about this ad nauseum but will spare you this time around. For the purposes of this blogpost, "general bad-assedness" refers only to physical bad-assedness.

Each person's day has a different set of needs and demands and, therefore, will require different skill sets and levels of fitness. General physical bad-assedness takes into account not only these daily needs and demands but also what, for most of us, is most likely to forever remain a hypothetical potential need for a more advanced set of skills and level of fitness. Let's face it; most of humankind makes it through their days just fine without ever putting themselves through any additional physical training. They plod along, not necessarily happy with but neither particularly bothered by, their lovehandles, poor endurance, sloppy posture, weak backs or any of the other attributes of which we, the fit-minded, so often live in fear. Few of us (thank goodness!) are ever truly faced with a situation in which our physical prowess makes a life-or-death difference. For me, however, GBA is a physical state of conditioning that, when that highly hypothetical situation arises, drastically elevates one's chances of survival. So as I contemplate GBA, I consider what physical attributes would make me more likely to survive the hypothetical "shit hitting the fan" (SHTF).

Realistically, even any given SHTF episode is going to be different from any other given one, but when I think of it, it's generally a scenario that involves the requirement to physically out-maneuver an opponent. That opponent might be trying to get to me or something I have for some strange reason or might be trying to get to someone I love. Or that opponent might be attempting to beat me to something. I can imagine numerous different scenarios but suffice it to say that they all involve my physical prowess versus someone else's.

So, what are those attributes I feel would be most useful? In my mind, the things that would allow a person who possessed them to be deemed a "general badass" include:

1. Quickly covering ground/distance on foot. In all likelihood, this would involve some distance further than a city block or two but most likely not too much further than a mile.

2. Explosive power: Think sprint, jump, knock crap over.

3. Maneuverability/Agility: the ability to change position in multiple planes quickly.

4. Pure, raw strength: fairly obvious.

5. Endurance, or perhaps I should say "enduring strength," because what I generally mean is to be able to display all of the above longer than the opponent.

6. Indomitable spirit (thanks TaeKwonDo). One can be beaten even before they start if they think themselves beaten. Conversely, an iron will is difficult to defeat.

I desperately wanted to add in a few other skills such as proficiency with a handgun and long rifle, being able to hotwire a vehicle, ability to ride a motorcycle (the very reason I'll never be a complete and total badass :) ), the ability to pick most locks, basic ground-fighting, take downs and hand-to-hand, and blade-fighting skills. Ultimately, however, I decided these were just gravy. They definitely move a person up in the food chain, but I don't believe they are an absolute necessity for general bad-assedness.

Please chime in in the comments with your ideas.

TODAY'S WORKOUT: 12kg VO2 Max. I ended up starting with 7 reps per round and decreasing to 6 after the 40th round, then backed on down to 5 a little while thereafter as my form was degrading. I last did this workout on May 16 and did it with 8 reps in all but the last few rounds, doing a total of 80 rounds. Today, however, I just was NOT feeling it. It was rough. I think the two biggest factors were the oppressive heat without a breeze (talking dead calm here) and I think I was dehydrated. Regardless, it was ugly, but at least I got a little something done.

YESTERDAY'S WORKOUT:
5 rounds of...
C &PP 20kg x 2, 16kg C&P x 3--Right then left.
Elevated perfect pushup, having to move to perfect pushups from the knees in rounds 4 & 5 x 5
Wlaking 20kg Lung x 10
Double 16kg DL x 5
Plank x 25sec
Rest 25 sec

20kg Tabata swings x 2 with 2 min rest b/w

30 challenge Burpees in 6'19"

I was a hair's breadth away from pushing through on the left-sided strict press with the 20kg.

SUNDAY'S WORKOUT: Technically it was off-day, but I went for a nice, slow walk for a mile then did a bit of yoga just to be outside.

Think Lean and Strong

Friday, June 5, 2009
Off--162.5#

I'm finally beginning to get settled in after having gone back to Tennessee for a visit. As I was leaving, 10 days seemed like quite a long time, but the hours and days flew by, and before I knew it, I was faced again with leaving friends and family. I was fortunate in that I got at least brief visits with almost everyone I wanted to see, but no amount of time is ever truly enough to sit in the presence of people we love and who love us in return. I snapped some beautiful pics (if I do say so myself) and can't wait to share them with you.

That being said, not a day went by that I didn't miss my internet friends, as funny as that might seem.

I did a fair job of sticking to doing a workout while I was gone and only missed a workout on a couple of days. My nutrition was far less than ideal, but then again, it wasn't as bad as it could have been. My biggest disappointment in that regard lies in my having difficulty getting back on nutritional track on my return home. Though I got home 6 days ago, I only went to the grocery today, and in the meantime just muddled through. I will pat myself on the back, though, for making it through the entire 12 hour shift two nights ago without eating a single M&M out of the 3 1/2# bag the skinny guy brought to work. And I DO love my M&M's!

As always, though, these events haven't happened in an intellectual vacuum, and as they have happened, I have pondered them and their causes and consequences. Josh Hillis recently wrote a post about how Hugh Jackman trained for his latest role as Wolverine. In short, he became Wolverine for each and every workout. Josh followed that post up with one about how not to be a fat person. In short, don't make the choices or excuses that a fat person makes. Instead, think of the choice that, say, Hugh Jackman or Jessica Biel would make, and let that be your choice.

Top-Hugh Jackman and costars in the new movie X-men Origins: Wolverine. Middle--Jessica Biel in Blade: Trinity. I think this is one of the most beautiful female physiques ever. (MHO) I threw the pic of Ryan Reynolds (also Blade: Trinity) in at the bottom mostly because I think this is probably the hottest male physique ever. No snide comments about the cuffs; it was the best pic of how ripped he was that I could find.:)

(Josh keeps a great blog with some pretty wise points, and these last two nuggets have been great ones.) I've thought quite a lot about these points the last couple of days, today in particular, and slowly they are truly sinking in. In order to be the person I want to be, with the physique that I want to have, I have to think myself that person. As long as I think of myself as someone who wants to be strong and lean, I will continue to want. But as I begin to be that strong, lean person, I suspect that the choices of a strong, lean person will become second nature.

TODAY'S WORKOUT: 16kg Essentials. Rest 5 min. 5 min of 16kg snatches=72, Rest 3 min. 5 min of 16kg snatces=60. Rest 3 min. 30 Challenge Burpees for time=6'40"

YESTERDAY'S WORKOUT:
C&PP 20kgx2, C&P 16kg x 3--R then L
Perfect Pushups x 5 (sometimes had to be from the knees, but each one done perfectl)
20kg Walking Lunges (Steering wheel position)
double 16kg deadlifts
Plank x 25sec
Rest 2 min

For 5 rounds

20kg Tabata swings
Rest 2 min
20kg Tabata swings

WEDNESDAY NO WORKOUT

TUESDAY'S WORKOUT:
4 4-rung black and purple band assisted pullups/perfect pushups ladders
4 2-rung assisted pistol ladders

MONDAY'S WORKOUT:
16kg Essentials

Sprint 25sec
Rest 50sec
Jump Rope 25 sec
Rest 50 sec
Swing 20kg 25 sec
Rest 50 sec
...........for 25 min

SUNDAY'S WORKOUT:
Double 16kg C&P/Row--4 4-rung ladders
Double 16kg Squat--4 4-rung ladders

Snatch 16kg 30sec R/30sec L/20sec rest x 6 rounds