This weighing myself thing ...

I think I'm going to have to not be terribly anal about this.  I need to replace the batteries in the scale and make sure things are good there.  But I also need to do this for a few weeks and see where things come out and average them over a couple of days.  The numbers seem to vary depending on whether I've just showered or not, and whether I've just eaten or not.  I'm going to try and do this immediately after getting up each morning.  Since that is completely unlikely to happen, I'm going to just plan to average these over 3-4 days of measurements.

Today: 159.6/19.2/55.4/6.4/3062

2009 Goals

1. Stop eating like a horse (3 mos)
   Yah ... this has become a bit of an issue.  I've been liking food just a little too much the past little while.  So.  We're going to switch things up and start watching what goes in our mouth for a few months to see what happens.  The goal here is to see if I can drop my bf% by 5% in 3 months.  Will have a look at the end of the first month and see if that is realistic.  Going to track daily weights/percentages to keep myself honest here.
   
   
2. Deadlift 2.5x myself
   This is sitting as a whole year goal right now.  My current max is 278 (I think).  Came close to pulling 300 the other day but it just wasn't going to happen.  Anyway, I currently weigh about 160, so that puts this goal at exactly the 400lb mark.
   
   
3. 100 snatches / 24 kg / 5 minutes
   This is a simple goal.  Have already done 70.  Nothing to see here.  Aiming for 6 months.  Going to try and do this in less.

Today: 164/20.4/54.7/6.6/3105

The first of 10 things to love about the holidays ...

Ok ... something totally random for a while.

The first thing I love about the holidays is that there are people playing music in the MUNI underground. Ok ... I take that back. The thing I love about the holidays is that there are GOOD MUSICIANS playing holiday music in the MUNI underground. Usually it's a tone deaf homeless person with a guitar case. Today, I passed a string quartet and was still smiling an hour later.

Today was the confusing workout mix.
1min long cycle @ 20kg
1min off
1min snatches @ 20kg
1min off
1min double jerks @ 16kg
1min off
(2 minute break)
(and repeat)

No major issues.

The rest of Dec & Jan are going to be warrior diet months.
Will evaluate at the end of Jan and figure out where to go from there.

Olympics 01 :-)

Lots of good news all around.

First, I'm a total sucker for the olympics. US olympic coverage is so interesting. Very different than what I am used to. Much less balanced. I understand the whole Michael Phelps thing, really I do. But there are so many athletes who have spent the better part of their walking talking lives preparing for competition like this. That the primetime coverage is so narrowly focused on things like swimming and gymnastics feels strange to me.

So ... now that the disclaimer is over there are two things running through my head. The men's 4x100 relay in swimming is the most ridiculously satisfying example of pure play competition and desire to win that I've ever seen. There is a mind-over-matter element here that blows me aqway.

And then there's gymnastics. I can't hold a handstand to save my life. That's mostly because I don't have the drive to practice as much as is necessary. Then I watch the olympics, and have this feeling inside every single time that makes me feel like gymnastics is the closest that humans come to flying under our own power. I just have to watch a few vaults, and a couple of exercises on the uneven bars and the rings and I'm just sitting there stunned. In this case all the focus on the Hamm's made me stop to consider how close gymnastics takes us to the edge of human ability. We continue to push the limits of what is possible, and dance on the line between brilliance and catastrophe.

---

Now for the really good parts.

TGU:

I can actually do a TGU with the 32kg on my RHS. This seems just ridiculous to me given that 6 months ago we were working with the 16kg and it felt like my wrist was going to snap like a twig after 3 reps. Now the veins in my arm just look like the they are going to pop off. Left hand is weaker, I think because of the vision issue and hand-eye coordination that we need to work on there. I need to get a better feeling for the position so that I don't have to rely 100% on being able to see it at all times. Still managed to do 28kg on the LHS, so there is not a major differential.

Snatch VO2:
Uh huh ... 15/15 ... 7 reps ... 16kg ... 40 minutes. This is just complete death. Something very physical about this, but psychological too. Grip is managing to hold out ok at that level. We pushed this up to the 20kg and tried to do it with 6 reps and my grip died too quickly (10-15 mins?). Now we're back down to 16kg again, but trying for 8 reps. Yesterday, I managed to make it through 20 minutes with 8 reps, before I genuinely wasn't within the 15 second window anymore. I managed to push it down to 7 reps and get the whole 40 minutes in. So I'm happy for now.

Hand Care:
Oh yeaaaaaahhhh. (aka FINALLY). Corn Huskers. Safeway. $4.19. Bliss.

on change ...

Ok ... first about today. For whatever reason I'm feeling energized about constantly turning it up half a degree every single time. Today was Max VO2 and it went amazingly well. I think there is something psychological about the short bursts of intensity here (followed by an all too brief chance to 'recover').

Anyway ... 15/15 with the 16kg (7 reps), alternating between hands. Went for 25 minutes. Rest periods spent with the kb locked out overhead, rather than on the ground.

Need to figure out what to push next ... the time, or the reps (or both). And whether to keep it locked out overhead, or go back to true rest periods.

--

Jordan asked the other day how I'm feeling about my progress.

I can't believe it has been a year. When we started in the park the lightest kb he had was the 16kg. For the first few weeks, while he got set up, we continued with the 16kg and I just assumed things were supposed to be that hard. Ha ha. Anyway, eventually the 12kg arrived and we went back to that to fix up my form and get some stability under my belt. We didn't stay there for long. I'm constantly adjusting, but there is still a part of me that feels this surge picking up the 20 or 24 and using it on a regular basis. I can still remember when 10 two-handed swings with the 16 were heavy work sets. Now, we regularly warm up with 3x1-min sets on the 20.

This will sound ridiculous, but I've always been a fast mover. I have two speeds: 'stationary' and 'hyper'. I could wax poetic about the fact that I have something actually resembling forearms and a chest now ... but the thing that has made the most difference is the physical state of being truly athletic.

I can take the stairs out of the MUNI underground two at a time, get to the top, and just keep on trucking without missing a beat. I can float around at work with a monitor, or half a case of paper in hand, and not be remotely taxed by the experience.

In fact ... I chart my progress by considering the increase in quality and quantity of life that I've been able to experience over the past year. I get more done in a day, I enjoy it more, and when it's over, I'm less tired and ready to do it all over again.

Saying 'thank you' here sounds completely inadequate. Because what I am really saying is 'thank you for radically improving my life'. And thank you doesn't do that transformation justice. I am one small measure of proof that anyone can do this. No matter how uncoordinated, or out of shape.

Show up: day after day, week after week.
Put in the work: one swing or snatch after another.
Bottom line: change for the better.

catching up ...

Saturday:
10 mins TGU with 24kg
Snatches with 20kg. 8rh/8lh/rest. Repeat for 10 mins.

Sunday:
1h swings.
As follows. 30sec on RH / 30sec on LH / 30sec rest
Rinse and repeat 10x

Pressing Ladder
(1+1, 1pull up, 2+2, 1pull up, 3+3, 1 pull up) x 5
Used 16kg. Pressing is way too much fun.
Which means I need to use something heavier.

Today:
Pressing Ladder: (1+1/2../3../4../5..). 2pull ups between each. Then repeat from bottom.
Max VO2: 20 mins. Brief rest after 10 mins. Protocol was 15on/15rest doing 7rep/15sec/16kg. Then rest, followed by repeat with the lh side.

today's w/o

Pride's over. Houseguest is gone. Life is returning to normal.

Today ... nothing complicated. 10 minutes TGU with the 24kg. Managed to get 17.5 in 10 minutes :-)

Followed by 10 minutes snatches. (8LH + 8RH + rest for remainder of minute). With the 20kg. Not easy, but easier.