PaulG

10 hours ago, WhiteGhost said:

How do you get the water to your workout place and still keep it cool with the heat?

I’ve been working out almost entirely at home — even more so since my dumbbells finally came! — so I just put a couple inches of water in the tub and in my largest mixing bowl, and I hang out with my feet in the tub and my hands in the bowl on my rest breaks. As long as the water is cool to the touch (not freezing cold, as you don’t want your vasculature to constrict) it’s theoretically still giving benefit. If the water goes up more than a couple degrees, I just add some more cold water to bring it down.

10 hours ago, Mad Hatter said:

I see you're still sold on the podcast, excellent! I did this experiment too when my flat overheated. But that was less about improving performance and more about not dying.   😄Not that it gets anywhere near as hot, those temps are incomprehensible. 😮

Yeah, before this heat wave it was all about eking out a little more performance. And it did seem to help to some degree! A few of my exercises took big steps forward. Yesterday I just wanted to be able to do SOME work but not die.

I’m still sold on it, sort of. I’m listening to it every week. I’m also taking a look at some of the resources Huberman draws from in his episodes. All the recommendations Huberman makes seem to be based on something, but I’m finding some of it is “one new study showed this might be a cool thing,” not necessarily “this has been replicated in ten studies and we know this is an effect people should be paying attention to.” I am most inclined to trust him when he’s talking about his areas of expertise, but it turns out some of the things he said in his episodes on exercise and nutrition weren’t as well-founded as his comments seemed to suggest.

Even though it’s not exactly a final word though, he is definitely listening to and referencing some really great people I had never heard of before, like Dr. Andy Galpin.

On 6/23/2021 at 10:49 PM, sarakingdom said:

I have no idea. I'm not framing serious stuff right now, just protecting the odd postcard I want to display, and mostly for  locations I don't want a broken glass risk, like the bathroom. Their main lines, I think not. They did have a couple of more decorative ones that looked like they might.

Keeping that tip in the back pocket for sure...

On 6/23/2021 at 10:49 PM, sarakingdom said:

I mean, it must be an unusual book if it's giving style advice on collectible underwear.

I guess we all need a statement piece somewhere in our wardrobe.

--

In case anyone started thinking this West Coast heat wave is more fake news from the dang liberal media, I can certify: it is hot as balls in Seattle. That's my sole excuse for not updating in nearly a week.

I'll update my goals in a bit, but for now I have a workout log to post.

I took all last week off from strength training (except for a little PT here and there), thinking I'd give myself a chance to rest, catch up on work, and not have to deal with the heat. Buuuut it's worse now than it was last week -- yesterday seemed to be the apex, 115 degrees -- so I slouched back into my workout routine today.

- I've been experimenting with a technique I picked up from the Huberman Lab podcast on performance: spending my rest breaks with my feet and hands submerged in cool (75-80 degree) water, the idea being to lower my core temperature faster so I can perform more work. I've been messing with it on and off for a month, but working out in 85-90 degree heat prompted me to do it just about every rest break today. It's far from a scientific experiment, but I really do think I notice a difference when I do it -- my later sets are just easier to perform. Today, I have no doubt I'd normally be a sweaty mess within my first set or two, but it took until the end of the workout for my energy/motivation to really flag, and I didn't actually sweat very much.

- I still didn't do a ton of work, figuring I'd hold back since I'm not acclimated to this heat -- and also figuring I should err on the side of giving my shoulder a break.

On 6/20/2021 at 12:09 PM, deftona said:

 

I love these videos! You make it all look so effortless. 

On 6/20/2021 at 12:50 PM, Epsilonte said:

Wheeee, you are back! And with such nice videos!!  

 

Art: Have you heard of Displate? I have one of those, it's really pretty, you can easily change them up and they have ALL the nerdy things. ^^ Not very cheap though. 

On 6/21/2021 at 9:10 AM, DoubleTrouble said:

You should frame your flow lines, they're works of art 😍

On 6/21/2021 at 1:59 PM, KB Girl said:

 

 

Also loving the videos! 

Thanks!! Hoping to have a little more time to devote to the flow work next challenge.

I had not heard of Displates — they DO look very expensive, but would be a fancy pants way to display the right art piece. I will definitely keep them in mind, though I’m not sure they’re in the budget just yet… (I’m secretly holding back some money, hoping to get a hardwood walnut dining table )

On 6/21/2021 at 5:58 AM, Mad Hatter said:

I love the flow videos, keep 'em coming! Looks super fun.

 

Btw if you find something on redbubble/society6 that you like perhaps check out the artist's website too. Those sites often take a huge amount in fees and you might be able to better support the artist if you buy directly from them.

This is a really good point, and thank you for saying it, I had totally forgotten about the fact that most of these artists likely have their own sites where I can get pieces fee-free. I see no reason to give the curation sites a big cut if I can get something from the artist directly for a reasonable price.

On 6/20/2021 at 1:50 PM, sarakingdom said:

 

IKEA has cheap frames in exactly postcard sizes, FYI.

I will keep this in mind too. Do you happen to know if they still sell glass frames? I’ve heard a lot of complaining online about the plastic frames they started selling…

On 6/20/2021 at 2:22 PM, Alanna said:

Thank you! I'm rebuilding my strength base right now, so my programming isn't that interesting (or really that well-defined either... I just try to hit all the basic movements regularly and progress in weight, reps, and/or difficulty)

That is the lodestone that we’re all aiming for, so sounds like you’re doing great

On 6/20/2021 at 2:22 PM, Alanna said:

I completely understand what you mean about OHP! It really loves volume. My eventual programming strategy for my main lifts was hitting a top set at a desired RPE (usually 8 or 9) and then taking 10% off and doing 3-4 more sets at that weight. 10% off is harder to calculate for bodyweight exercises, though!

Yeah, those kinds of weird loading tricks are why I’ve grown to like rest-pause training and hybrid sets so much for bodyweight training. It’s rare that we’re able to manipulate loading very finely, so when you find a way to manipulate the other variables in a way you can track reliably, you’ve found a tool that’s worth hanging on to.

—

Love the sleep challenge! Reading your goal is slowly wearing down my resistance to tracking my own sleep...

I'm curious what your supplement regimen is!

8 hours ago, Alanna said:

I've gotten some artwork from Redbubble, which is a similar site (I just went with it over society6 because I like their t-shirt fit/material). My art-on-a-student-budget trick is buying the postcard versions and getting small frames from charity shops/thrift stores. That doesn't work well for filling up large walls, but can make a nice collection of smaller pieces.

I actually have a lot of large space to fill, but this is SUCH AN AWESOME IDEA that I want to use it anyway for some of the smaller walls! Thank you!

8 hours ago, Alanna said:

I will be following to learn approaches for programming and tracking bodyweight training! The hybrid sets are a great idea - drop sets (or maybe top sets would be the better term for what I did?) were a staple in my powerlifting training.

Awesome! I wish I'd known more about how to program drop sets back when I was doing barbell work, I probably would have stuck with it longer. It seems especially useful for heavily-disadvantaged moves like OHPs, where even an itty bitty plate can kill your volume.

I use Steven Low's progression charts as a base resource... but ever since @Mad Hatter made mention that his stuff is based around the recovery of teens and young men, I've started to freeform a little more with progressions. Especially the handstand pushup progressions. I now realize that area of Low's work is somewhat underdeveloped and will require a lot of gap-filling. Even the first exercise jump -- from pike press to box headstand pushup, with your feet on a box -- is a monstrous leap for just about everyone.

If you're curious about something, feel free to shout it out! I'm really happy with my program right now, but I'm not sure it's always clear from my logs what I'm doing, or what I'm trying for.

--

On 6/18/2021 at 8:34 AM, DoubleTrouble said:

I'm not sure what you mean about anatomy. (Edit: this video and this video have some pictures of muscles thrown in, does that count?) For knee issues, he talks a bit about his history with knee problems in this video . He has posted some success stories (1) (2) from other people. If anyone asks him in the comments "will this solve problem x", he usually doesn't answer the question and links his website instead (for legal reasons?). There are some reviews of his program on youtube (some from physiotherapists) if you're interested.

 

Thanks for the explanation on hybrid sets!

For sure!

The reason I mention anatomy is that none of the videos I’ve seen have been very clear on exactly what knee issues he’s trying to solve. Thank you for the links! I’ll watch a couple more of those videos.

—

17 hours ago, DoubleTrouble said:

Have you checked out knees over toes guy?

I actually watched a couple videos after following the link in your challenge, but I haven't found much about anatomy or any explanations as to exactly what knee issues he's trying to solve. Do you have any suggestions?

17 hours ago, DoubleTrouble said:

I was wondering how to progress ring rows, I was using weights in a backpack but its kind of awkward. I'll give this a try.

For my part, my plan has been to transition from archer rows to front lever row progressions, so I'm hoping to avoid the weight vest (haven't bought one yet, though I'll probably have to break down eventually for pullups and working toward slow bar muscle-ups). Let me know how it goes for you! It seems to work pretty well, though the transition to incline archers has felt like a rather big jump.

17 hours ago, DoubleTrouble said:

No, please tell us more 🙏

Sure. Hybrid sets are basically what folks in the weightlifting community call drop sets, but ordered differently. It's meant for bridging a progression jump that you're having trouble with, like from wide ring rows to incline archers.

In weightlifting, there is a culture of drop set-loving folks who like to do three sets of, say, five reps at a heavy weight. Then they move down to a lighter weight and do one or more sets there. (I think in many cases weightlifters are using drop sets improperly, but that's another rant.)

For bodyweight, they're great for making a tough jump between progressions -- for example, as I'm trying to jump from wide rows to incline archers. For the last couple workouts I've been able to do 11-15 wide rows in a set without reaching failure, but I could only do 3 archers before my form starts falling apart and I can't get my chest to the ring anymore. The solution is hybrid sets: a low-volume set of the archers, not quite to failure, and I immediately follow with a set of wide ring rows. That's one hybrid set; after that set, you take your normal rest time, thenrinse and repeat for 2-3 more sets, doing the harder movement, immediately followed by the easier. So you end up with a row workout like I did on 6/7/21:

Workout Log 6/17/21

- Going In: A little stressed due to being behind at work, a little distracted, but able to keep on task during my warmup.

Warmup

 

Foot-Assisted Ring Supports: 30s^a-e, 30s^a-x, 30s^b-x

 

(Hybrid Set A) Pistol Squats +20lbs: 4/4^a-x, 4/4^a-x, 3/3^a-x

(Hybrid Set A) Pistol Squats: 5/5^a-x, 5/5^a-x, 6/6^a-x

 

(Superset A) Barstool Pike Press: 5^a-x, 5^a-x, 6^a-y

(Superset A) FG Bar Pullups: 8^a-x, 8^a-x, 8^b-y

 

Incline Archer Ring Rows: 6/6^b-x, 6/5.5^b-y, 5.5/3.5^c-y

 

(Superset B ) Asst. Natural Hamstring Curls: 5^b-x, 4^c-y

(Superset B ) Adv. Tuck Dragon Flags:  9^b-x, 9^a-x, 9^a-x

 

Dip Ecce.:  3(7s)^b-x, 3(7s)^b-x

 

Supine Scap Protraction in Flexion +2lb: 7^a-x, 7^b-x, 7^b-y

Shldr Abd+ExR OHPs: 4^b-x, 4^a-x, 3^b-y

Knuckle Wall Slides: 3^b-x, 3^b-y, 3^b-y

 

Cooldown

 

- Warmed up feeling okay... then got extremely tired after the first set of  pistols. Had to mentally push myself through the next couple exercises.

 

- Weird how even when you're fighting tiredness through a workout, you can put up a really good performance. Every exercise showed some degree of progress, especially pistols, pullups, pike presses and dragon flags. Plus, good show with the ring supports. My guess? I'm going to be wrecked tomorrow and Saturday.

 

I've probably mentioned that food-wise, I haven't been very inspired. An example, you ask? Well, suffice to say that fried rice has become my crutch -- I either make it with leftover meat and veggies from the fridge, or if my fridge fails me, I use the delicious Eagle Coin-brand cans of fried dace and douchi that I was recently turned on to.

 

Another example? Well, I finally got my hands on that new pasta you may have heard of. You know -- cascatelli? The brand new pasta shape invented by Dan Pashman, who hosts the excellent Sporkful podcast? When I finally got a five-pound bag of this pasta in the mail on Sunday (this is another thing I ordered in March), I celebrated by cooking a huge pot of pork-and-sausage ragu (which was my first time making ragu in over a decade, btw). Since then, I've eaten that same dish, over and over, five nights in a row.

 

 

If you haven't gotten cascatelli yet... get some. I heard about it through the podcast, but if I had been fed this stuff blind, it would still have instantly become one of my favorite pasta shapes. They did an excellent job creating a really toothsome shape, which satisfies my lust for that al dente texture in spades. Plus, sauce clings to it like nobody's business.

 

I'm especially proud of the ragu, because I made it from essentially fridge scraps: Chinese celery wilting on my counter, and a half-box of king oyster mushrooms that had nothing else going on in their lives. The sausage I made myself, by just cutting up half the pork shoulder I'd bought and grinding it in a food processor, salting it, and letting it sit a couple hours. The only thing I needed to buy to make this was the pork shoulder, a cheap bottle of white wine, and a single carrot.

6 hours ago, WhiteGhost said:

It was really hilarious to watch Wraith as she was totally intimidated by a bag of shrimp

This video was the best cat-related thing I've seen in weeks. Also, the shrimp reminded me of that fried whole-shrimp recipe you suggested months ago. MUST MAKE.

Did you make the mapo tofu??

Time for a quick Workout Log Backlog Dump.

Warning: I'm not 100% sure that the logs are 100% accurate. I might have cut an exercise or skill thing here and there, and forgot to delete the entry. Should be mostly accurate though.

Quick recap of what's happened with my strength routine, broken down by vertical push, horizontal push, pull... etc.

Skill/Ring Work: I was doing it pretty consistently, but it dropped off over the past two weeks or so. Need to get this consistent soon. I want ring dips, dammit! I need a great ring support for that.

Anterior Leg (Pistols): At some point, I realized I was leaving some effort on the table with pistols. I was probably holding back because of the knee pain issues I've had in the past with them, but it's been a long time since I've actually had significant knee pain. So I decided to go all-out and go right to the point of failure... and found I could hit 8, 9, 10 reps. I had been spinning my wheels, waiting for my dumbbells to come in the mail, but when I realized I could do 3x10 reps, I broke down and started going into my apartment gym to access the dumbbells there. Now, of course, I am getting occasional knee pain issues again.

Posterior Leg (NHCs): Still working them, and they feel stronger all the time, but it's very difficult to track the level of assistance from my hands.

⬆️ Pull: Very soon after I dropped out of my last challenge -- mid-April -- I went from pullup eccentrics to full pullups, and now I'm hovering around the 3x7 range, where I've been sort of stalled for a week or two. I'm not terribly worried about it because I've been doing a lot of PT and parkour, which has sapped some recovery from the lower traps and back; I think I just need some rest.

➡️ Pull: Pretty simple progression from ring rows -> wide ring rows -> incline archer rows. Next step is real archer rows, or perhaps tuck front levers, but I think incline archers will take a while to work through... my range of motion is not yet perfect on them (not yet getting the ring all the way to the pec). The step from wide rows to incline archers felt like a BIG load difference, so I started off with some hybrid sets the first few workouts, which worked really well. I've been excited about hybrid sets ever since.

⬆️ Push: I've used a progression that I've never, ever seen before, but was inspired by my PT. I'm hoping it works out. Most folks start with pike pushups; instead I started with a "box" headstand pushup, with my knees on the edge of my bed, which gave me the perfect amount of load. Next I switched to my knees on a barstool (roughly 37 inches high): first eccentrics, then the full pushup. Finally, I got cleared by my PT to move to headstand pushups with my toes on the stool; which is the second level of progression in Overcoming Gravity's charts. I'm really happy with the homegrown progression; it seems to have moved me well on the way to headstand pushups, and with none of the injury issues that used to crop up with my earlier tries at pike presses.

➡️ Push: This is definitely my lowest-priority movement right now. I've gone from decline pushups to dip eccentrics on a stool, but I've been quite cautious about it, since my wrists have had some nerve issues.

Core: This might actually be even lower priority. I like dragon flags but I just don't care that much about getting to any particular goal. As long as I'm getting some core work in, I'm good.

On 6/13/2021 at 1:22 PM, Salinger said:

Good luck Paul!!!!! x

Thanks!

On 6/13/2021 at 1:43 PM, deftona said:

 

What, is it 1999 or something?! What could possibly be justification for that... 

 

Following behind until you start doing the ninja shit at which point I'll sit on the floor and have a snack until you're done. 

Welcome to the thread, there will always be snacks!!

Lord knows. The reputable adjustable dumbbell manufacturers seem to have had a lot of problems with supply chain/shortage issues, more than most companies. Whatever the hell is going on with the post-pandemic economy has affected shipping all over the place, though. At least in this part of the US. Lately even Amazon packages will TELL you they’re delivered within the two-day limit, and then they will actually show up a day or two later. And let’s not even talk about UPS and USPS… actual delivery four full days after they claim they gave it to you.

On 6/13/2021 at 7:53 PM, WhiteGhost said:

I've missed you.  Looking forward to the parkour inspo and, although not explicitly part of the challenge, all the food inspo as well.  

I missed you too! Maybe this challenge will get me more inspired on food, lately I’ve been in a rut…

On 6/14/2021 at 12:19 AM, Mad Hatter said:

Yoo welcome back, missed you!

 

What a fun looking flow!

Thanks! Good to be back! Where is your challenge at?? I’ve gotta track all y’all’s challenges down.

On 6/14/2021 at 11:44 AM, DoubleTrouble said:

That flow was 👌

Thanks! I tried to nab another video this Sunday, but was 1) exhausted by a full weekend of exercise and 2) rained out by a crazy monsoon-style storm. I still did roll practice in the puddles, but bringing out the phone was not an option, sadly.

—

Every time I come back to my thread, I think of something else I should post. For example: I’ve made some progressions to my strength routine that I should really recap (and a huge backlog of workout logs I should dump in a spoiler, for posterity). But my evenings have been a little too full for long posts.

Life Better - 🍞 - Parameters of this goal are a little specific. Rather than just giving myself credit for any social appointments, I want this to be focused on donating my time, or giving a small gift to someone (though I’m inclined to count feeding someone as a gift). This should be in the bag for Week 0. First, on Sunday I got contacted by a friend who had gone to a baby shower in town and got a little too tipsy to drive; so while I made dinner, I had them over to hang out for a couple hours until they were okay to drive, and fed them pasta before they went on their way (though I’m not sure this counts for full credit, since I got to see a friend). Second, I got the email to confirm that this Saturday, I’ll be volunteering to help set up a temporary parkour playground at the Waterfront in Seattle. I’ll be helping to set up scaffolding!

Strength - 💪 - Two weeks ago, my PT cleared me to start practicing handstands. Not long afterward, the median nerve issues with my left wrist cropped back up — since then I’ve been holding off on handstand or dip work. Hoping to restart dip negatives toward the end of this week.

Mobility - 🧘‍♂️ - Still need to get benchmark photos done. Planning to do that tonight during my workout, right after I warm up.

Art - 🖼 - I spent some time poking around the website society6.com, just to get an idea for the kinds of things I’d like to have on my walls. There’s lots of oddball hipster stuff there that looks fun or entertaining.

It’s a WhiteGhost challenge!!

• A new, real-boy pullup bar to replace my DIY galvanized-pipe number (which was starting to chew the edges of my doorway trim a bit)
• A real set of adjustable dumbbells (which were only JUST SHIPPED after ordering them in March. Not pissed about that at all.)
• A couple of new lamps to the living areas
• A bed frame suitable for an grown-ass man (rather than the upholstered number I used to have)
• Blackout curtains for the bedroom
• Enough money set aside for a decent dining room table

13 hours ago, Harriet said:

It's really nice. It has a little of the softness around the face and neck that you see in many depictions of the buddha and similar characters.

Many historians say the softness of his features was also a consequence of his enjoyment of ham.

16 hours ago, Stronkey Kong said:

And, yet, as we seek the ham, we learn to appreciate the delicate texture and mildly sweet, vegetable flavor of the peas and  how its minerals and fiber support us and make us regular. Thus, we come full circle, and learn to live life more fully.

I’m beginning to understand why visionaries such as Gandhi had whole journals dedicated to tracking their BMs.

46 minutes ago, Mad Hatter said:

Good call, you're breaking apart. 😄

12 minutes ago, Epsilonte said:

 

Good.

 

 

Even better!!

 

 

the best! Hope you feel better soon! Especially after the vaccine, resting and healing is the best thing you can do. 

Seriously! I’ve been kind of bummed the last couple of days — I really HAVE been feeling like I’m coming apart at the seams. The wrist is already feeling much better, but I can still feel it there, in the background, when my wrist is in its extreme ranges of motion

I wish I knew more about wrists and hands. I’d like to learn some more about nerve entrapment at the wrists, because that’s about all I can tell about what happened. I am not sure where to start though.

I probably shouldn’t be surprised how much my recovery can be shot just from two or three weeks of extra work stress and a little less sleep, but clearly my full routine is too much right now.

I am with @raptron on poetry — lots of poetry I’ve liked hasn’t needed a ton of cultural context to enjoy, and I like the aesthetic of a carefully-created phrase. And listening can be a great way to get into it (though personally I hate listening to most people reading their poems aloud, almost everyone seems to go into a slam-poet voice that annoys the crap out of me).

On 4/9/2021 at 6:53 PM, WhiteGhost said:

 

Please don't do that anymore

Agreed
 

On 4/9/2021 at 11:39 PM, Mad Hatter said:

Dude, you've gotta take care of yourself! 😮

 

I see plenty of fun video potential here... 😛 

I think there is! But the video is a bit delayed for reasons I’ll go into below...

On 4/10/2021 at 4:13 AM, Epsilonte said:

 

Is there any possibility to maybe work a little less? That can't be healthy (as proven by your fainting)...  

 

Also...

 

 

(yeah I know, it's from working too much, but still... )

Your shame was effective at getting me back to the shoulder PT, whenever I wasn’t working
 

On 4/12/2021 at 9:13 AM, raptron said:

Is this like a temporary crunch? Is there an end on the horizon? This sounds very unsustainable. 

 

Thissss is an unexpected exercise/workout for fainting. 🤔 Could just be a weird blood pressure drop from coming back up from the lower? Either way, hope it was a fluke. 

Me too. For what it’s worth, I haven’t had any other episodes. I also may have been a touch dramatic in my retelling. It wasn’t a total loss of consciousness. It waaasss a moment of wooziness that almost hurt my face, and freaked me out. It was definitely vasovagal in nature, but nothing else remotely like it has happened, so I’m a little reassured.

—

All right, it’s been far too long since I’ve updated and this must be fast. I am writing this as I sit in my car, in line for my first drive-through vaccination dose (yay!). However, I haven’t been training since Sunday, because on Sunday I somehow injured my wrist (boo). I was warming up, messing around with low-impact thiefs and lazy vaults on low obstacles while I waited for parkour class to start... and then I put my hand down and discovered that putting weight on the wrist in extension was EXTREMELY painful.

It appears to be some sort of median/radial neuropathy, and it only occurs with that positioning of my wrist, but I’m not really sure what caused it in much detail — there was no warning. But this was kind of the final straw — it’s pretty clear I’ve been pushing myself too hard, so I decided to take a whole week off of training this week, to give myself a chance to focus on catching up at work and healing.

3 hours ago, WhiteGhost said:

 

Your forgiveness means a lot to me, though.

32 minutes ago, sarakingdom said:

 

Failure involves adaptation. When a goal is too ambitious, you don't give up, you find another route. I understand you're feeling down right now because you failed, and that's making you feel defeatist - and lord knows 2020 was enough to make everyone a little depressed- but that is not the NF way. You keep showing up. You learn from the failure, modify your goals, and show up again to move forward. One foot in front of the other. You do the job in front of you. You can do this. We've got you.

We’ve

Got

You

Bro.

2 hours ago, WhiteGhost said:

After thinking about this, you seem to have conflated the concepts of failure and 'waste of time'.  Not succeeding after trying something is the former and it isn't necessarily a bad thing.  Not learning from said failure (or in some cases not learning from a success) is the latter, and is generally considered a bad thing. 

Look, WG, it’s going to be okay. Should you have fleeced Baskin Robbins of their stock? One could make the argument. Should you have bought Baskin Robbins China outright from its parent company, Berkshire Hathaway? No question. Should you have, motivated by this challenge, helicoptered into New York and crushed a 90 year-old Warren Buffet under several duffels of cash, just to preserve your access to a frozen treat? Any reasonable person would say, absolutely. So you failed. You FAILED, and it’s okay. We won’t forget. But what makes this community great is: we WILL forgive.

On 4/7/2021 at 9:01 AM, Epsilonte said:

 

That sounds like fun! Can't wait for the video!

Me neither! Wish I had a good place to practice the move near my home... I have lots of rails in my park, but they're all either on walkways over a lake or regular handrails that have crossbars (like this or this), so I can't do underbars on any of 'em. I might sneak back to the park Sunday before class, though.

19 hours ago, WhiteGhost said:

Funnily enough I tried something similar the last time I was at the park after getting the same inspiration.  My attempts were hilariously bad, though, and I failed to get under the bar on any of my attempts

@DoubleTrouble's vids are a constant source of inspiration for things to practice! We've all gotta get in the same town for a minute so he can run a clinic and show us how it's done.

10 hours ago, raptron said:

glad you aren't (?) concussed

That was my thought exactly for most of this week... but then I forgot. Is that a bad sign?

6 hours ago, Mad Hatter said:

Impressive jump! 😮 

Thanks! It feels good to see myself starting to get back some of the abilities I was proud of back in the day. But what I really really want, is a nine-foot jump. Must find some dumbbells for the legs...

--

Have I really not posted since Tuesday? Jeez guys.

Most of the week can be summed up thusly:

• I worked a lot.
• In order to work a lot, I started getting up an hour early (at 5:30 AM) to have some time to work without interruptions, which started messing up my sleep.
• I tried to get to bed early, but I kept finding myself eating food at 10 PM and falling asleep at 11 because... I was working a lot. So rather than the 8 hours of sleep I've been coveting lately, I was getting 6.5.
• In retrospect, I'm pretty sure that's why my workout logs show me starting to recover too slowly and dig myself into a hole. But I didn't reflect and realize this until today because... well, I've been working a lot.
• Also, spoiler alert, I ran myself ragged enough that I maaaay have fainted during Thursday's workout.

Tuesday!

17 hours ago, WhiteGhost said:

I have seen that reference in your signature line but I can't say I agree with it.  I imagine you usually finish the old couplet "If at first you don't succeed" with "Try, try again".  I usually finish it with "Maybe skydiving just isn't for you"

17 hours ago, Scaly Freak said:

The correct ending to that is, "if at first you don't succeed, figure out why before trying again".  

Let’s be real here, the true success condition for this challenge would be WhiteGhost walking into Baskin Robbins on their last day open and buying out all their excess stock.

And if you had, you could have gotten them to throw in a good ice cream machine with the deal, since clearly they’re not using them anymore.

12 hours ago, juliebarkley said:

Or, just take the container you are freezing it in out of the freezer to stir it well every 30 minutes or so until it is fully frozen (about 3-4 times). Works great with no special machinery required. If you use cream, it is pretty easy to get a very nice end product. Unlike, I suspect, cheese. Or sausage.

I see recipes for no-churn ice cream from recipe writers I respect all the time, I keep meaning to try them! But all my buddies who worry about things like how many microns the ice crystals are tell me I’m wrong.

I think it’s probably easier to get a pro-style product out of sausage using home techniques than ice cream. I have no intention of ever attempting aged cheese. Some things, you just have to leave to the people who own the cheese caves.

56 minutes ago, Scaly Freak said:

 

I was just about to say this. Why can't a walk be a meditative experience? If it helps centering and calming the mind, it does the job just fine.

It just can’t, ok?!!!? Not unless it’s approved and vetted to release at least eight out of ten chakras!!! 

1 hour ago, WhiteGhost said:

This is just another product on the ever growing list of stuff that I can no longer get (other items include hot dogs, cheese, Root Beer and Pre-Workout powder).

16 minutes ago, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

I don't know how easily you can source good cows milk, but it might be time to start making your own ice cream.

Psst, folks, is WhiteGhost’s birthday coming up?

3 hours ago, Mad Hatter said:

I'm not sure whether to congratulate you or give my condolences?

Would you call it a bittersweet moment?