danica

Alive. Still practicing my challenge. My body weight stuff improved enough to push from frog to more of a detached hold in the planche progression. Mas is great and I'm so strong my husband asks me to open jars. Hope everyone is well! So busy at work that updating here is rarer.

Yesterday I did 15 sets of 5 overhead viking presses with 90# on the bar. Then we did some chest presses with the shot-put handle plate, 15# on that, pressing out in front, then lifting up overhead and back down to front for max reps. Ended with curls using same plate, and I got 25 curls each set.

All better! It healed up in a few days. Now it's nice and tough.

I'm alive. I've been overloaded with work, but maintaining all of my challenge quests. Mas yesterday was great - gave myself a day off to really recover before practice and went in and took that dang stick.

Today Mas training followed by farmer carries and one handed deadlifts using a 70# and 85# for 5,10,15 rep sets three rounds and some weighted sit ups.

Today I used the sled to bench press and row for half a mile each movement. No idea how may reps it was. Over a hundred per half mile I think. Arms dead. 90# each movement.

Yesterday I rowed some more, doing 2 sets of 10 at 90# to warm up, then 5 sets of 5 at 140#. Farmer's carries holding kettlebells for grip endurance, doing 36# each hand and 72# each hand until failure. Stood and talked about marketing with my coach for 15 minutes while holding the same kettlebells, which was interesting, and then did some curls at 20# per hand for 5 reps each set, focused on controlled, full range of motion and tensing up my core. Grip endurance with the fat grip strength things to close out.

Dang, that was smoov.

So much Mas. Today I met a new girl. She will be so great to wrestle with but needs more grip endurance. Today was training with her and helping her learn some Mas techniques.

Yesterday was mas for the first time since I got a hole torn in my hand. Bandaged up and wrestled like a boss. One guy totally ran me through the ringer, and my coach totally got me, so my takeaway is to keep on rowing until I can row 200 lbs, and to also do way more farmers carries. Grip endurance will be mine!

Hah! I actually got sterilized after years of lobbying with a few different gynos. No kids for me. I have adventures to do and I'm leaving the parenting to people who have the fortitude for it. Respect to the parents out there, tho.

Have you considered working on your grip strength to help support those tendons and muscles? I used to have carpal tunnel issues but since I have worked on grip, my issues have diminished significantly. Definitely let your body heal if you're experiencing pain - seeing a physical therapist could be really helpful to get some exercises to do. That bendy keyboard someone recommended up the thread is a great idea.

How is the challenge coming along, my bendy friend?

I wish I could tell you what happened today but let's just call it "extremely heavy mace day with single arm movements and some squats and overhead squats and also tossing and curling the mace and also tired arms and also some yelling and axe chops." Ok?