cob

I'll tell you what. This challenge is showing some real results. Definition in the triceps and biceps. Unfortunately, it's kind of stale and I don't even have that much to say. But, I suppose progress isn't about the exciting chaos of change as much as the steady progress of growth.

Does this mean post-partum depression is a misdiagnosis, or is it separate from birth-related PTSD?

Due to what can only be described as Murphy taking vengeance on me for being productive and progressive, I am currently without cell phone and laptop. My only form of communication is the computer lab on campus. Week Two and Three post is imminent What does the scouter say about his Power Level? It's almost nine thousaaaaaand! This week saw several benchmarks 100 pushups in a workout.3 pull ups (not that many, but it's a start!)Learned to deadlift the barAs for the strength-to-weight ratio, I haven't checked yet. I'll look at it at the school gym at the end of this week and then again at the end of the sixth week of the challenge. Given that I can do 100 pushups throughout the workout, and my change in physique, I think it's safe to say that I must be improving to some degree. During my last workout for this week (week three) I'll be attempting 45 in a single set. Beyond that, I took Thursday (my last workout) until today off, just because of school starting and wanting to stay focused. What I discovered was that my focus is better when I actively work on my fitness as well! Today was by far the best day of class and it started with the exact same workout as Thursday. I thought I might see some gain or loss from then, but it felt just about as crushing. I'm not going to analyze further. A Life of Combat I did, in fact, attend three classes last week. During the open mat classes, I had the interesting opportunity to crosstrain as uke for one of my sempai. He asked for good solid martial technique from various arts that I'd practiced for his upcoming first kyu test, where his particular focus is application. That, plus shadowboxing throughout my downtime is starting to seem like a good method to always keep my arts up. Shadow boxing, as it turns out, kills time fantastically! Purity of Body: Keeping the workouts to bodyweight only, as I feel it's pushing me harder than a machine and I can push myself even further beyond. I'll be checking out the UNLV gym this weekend just to get a feel for what's available. My goal is going to be combining the bodyweight and dumbbell workouts harmonious.Seeing how much time and effort goes into such minimal gains as mine, I've lost my fear of getting too big. So, ya know... that's good (thanks to various Rebels who also directed me towards good information on the matter).The restaurant we ate at for my sempai's going away party qualified as "clean" eating by sensei's definition. Still, I can't help but feel like I've eaten my last junk meal for the rest of the challenge. Funny thing is, with three weeks nearly done, surviving without eating out or having a lazy day seems... simple and easy.Purity of Mind: School started, yay! So far so good. Unfortunately, academia isn't very exciting.Both my English and Japanese professors made me very sad that linguistics is no longer a viable major at UNLV. I may still opt to minor in it, as the history of language systems is quite plainly fascinating.Picking up a few martial texts to read after I finish homework and such for each school week. Based on the syllabi, I should have time to read about one every two weeks.Purity of Spirit: The lack of electronic devices in my life has given me some time to really think about this one. Being honest with yourself and others is one thing. Literally having nothing but yourself is completely different. It's actually a significant challenge for someone with depression. Still, facing your personal failings and inescapable thoughts is cathartic and - dare I say - healthy. So, here's what I've learned about myself and my spirit: Despite always having a backup plan, I find that a single, albeit minor thing can really stress me to the end of the world.Regardless of the problem and my feelings, it's becoming increasingly harder to give up and not find a solution. I attribute this to a number of outside supports (I suffered a severe crash at the beginning of the week and they helped a lot) but also to my general dedication to a healthier and more budo-esque life. There is no room to give up unless you are prepared to die. So said the Samurai, so say I.School makes me happy. That's pretty much everything from the last two weeks. Mostly, it's that awkward transition from full-time work to full-time school that threw me off, but I've managed to keep to eating clean and being pure. What more can I do? That's what I aim to figure out by week five.

I have a question for any strength/warrior monks. How much would it hurt for me to not workout/tone it back this week as school starts? Will there be any significant loss or gain?

Re the stance: The idea is to be able to drive the ball of your back foot into the ground to get more power in your hips. With the heel flat, you simply don't generate as much force as you could. Fingers outstretched so you can grab, strike open-hand, or make a fist as the situation calls. It's all about getting the most out of the least in Krav. It's much more natural to keep your fingers open, it's much more powerful to simply raise your heel an inch off the ground, and it's much safer to keep your arms close in for protection - especially in a street fight where bumrushing is usually the first attack. It's close cover. Rest well! Neck pain is the WORST!

Love it! I'm just gonna go ahead and follow this thread

You are giving me respect for The Rock I never expected to have! My respect for you is also on the grow

My only addition to running vs swimming is that there is a difference between swimming and swimming. I got yelled at by a triathlete friend who criticized my technique as "casual freestyle" and not the most efficient method of swimming. Worth asking someone for technical advice if you want to swim for fitness. The more efficient distance coverage is a much more killer workout

Full plank is the top of pushup position, dolphin is the elbow version. I did it so I could do more pushups. Communication is an important skill! If you have a chatty cathy on your hands, I think improving in that area would improve your relationship exponentially. Home made Gyro and I got attacked for throwing it in a bowl instead of eating the bread. Arabic family is like "WHAT! WITHOUT THE NAAN THERE IS NO POINT TO EATING!!!" I'm honestly finding that I like protein style more and more as time goes on. When I cook up lean ground beef into a burger, I prefer wrapping it in lettuce these days. There's just more flavor! Is this transformative? Is it my intent? Yes and no. Either way, it can't hurt

To me, it means train hard and train safely. In Aikido, we have a similar phrase "Tap early, tap often." The idea is not to just take the pin to the most extreme until your shoulder gets pulled out of the socket (which has happened), but rather to train slowly and incrementally so that you don't even realize when you've progressed. Improvement as natural state of being.