A sweat and sore flavour

[@mu]

Wait! A new board! How exciting! Am I late!? I'm coming, I'm coming!!!

 

 

Summary for the quick reader:

 

Likes: pull / push / bend

Tools: body weight, parallettes, aerial silks, ball

Focus: handstand, bent arm press, straight leg pulls, shoulders, hips, back bend

Other keywords: GMB Parallettes 2, basil

 

Yes I want to have a first go at GMB Parallettes 2! I completed Parallettes 1 last year and it was very enjoyable. After a few months playing on my own, I think it's time to follow a master plan again.

 

There is a 1-month prep phase in the programme that I will follow during this challenge. The whole programme is flexible enough to be performed at different levels (e.g. you don't need to have a full planche to run it) but there are still a few prerequisites for it to be actually useful. I may have to iterate through phases a few times with some breaks in the middle. But this challenge will be my P2 starting point!

 

There are 3 big items I want to focus on:

> my bent arm press form: I need to start getting my arms into a 90 degree angle basically, it is very important for the skills coming up next in Parallettes 2. The prep phase will be great to focus on that and hopefully improve a little bit.

> my handstand: I need to start getting 5s consistently. Again, it's a prerequisite for Parallettes 2 core phases. No HS, no P2 brownie.

> straight legs in my aerial/pull work – this is not P2-specific but rather a forever todo list item...

 

Beyond that, I will keep the usual, a fair amount of stretching, and an open space for push/pull skills, to relax a bit and just in case I want to do something a little outside the box. I have rigged my shorter black silks in a sling for a bit of change.

Nothing really new in my goals, apart from a little and very limited sort of gardening thingy.

 

I will start this Saturday! Still very busy with theatre, 11/30 nights so far! And I'm having a wee deload week right now.

 

Primary Goal - Set square: Bent arm press 90 degree angle | Straight arms | Straight legs

 

~ Beautiful curves come from a straight line ~

 

A – GMB parallettes 2 prep phase (push 2x/week, and some pull-ups and stretching-the-cat sets 1x/week that will go into my B item)

B – Custom aerial conditioning + ball drills for straight legs (2x/week)

C – 5s+ HS consistency tracking: I will practice free HS 4x/week (including my workout sets + 1 extra session). I am limited to 25 attempts per practice (5 sets of 5). The underlying purpose is to stop just throwing my legs in the air and expect some magic to happen – or going into wild bunny mode, tiring myself for nothing. Each attempt needs to be prepared and meaningful.

I haven't done this sort of tracking before so I'm not sure what my baseline is, something like one 5s+ HS every 20-25 attempts maybe, so 4-5 per week? I will check it out during the first week and try to improve. NB: I'm not sure I will use this tracking for ever because it's rather rigid and might be even unhelpful at some point. But for a month, I want to make each attempt count - no more no less.

 

Contrarian goal 1: Preztel!

A - General stretching session with a focus on HIPS and still some shoulders – 1x/week

B - Customised GMB spinal flexibility and back bends – 1x/week

C - Hall of shame entry if I do not stretch adequately after a strength session

 

Contrarian goal 2: Freedooooom!

An open practice space focusing on movement quality / good form and flow rather than reps

A – On parallettes (a lighter push 1x/week and/or PvP every so often)

B – On aerial apparatus (short sling improvisation 2x/week + sequencing/skills 1x/week)

 

Life goal – Basil

There is a variety of basil here but it tastes a bit different, not bad but different. I got some seeds for the type of basil I really like, let's see if I can manage to get something out of it. Apparently basil is easy to grow but erm...  I will check my basil once a day.

So far I planted the seeds, and bad luck, we are in a very rainy and cold week... Usually the sun light is crazy, but this week nada! I hope the seeds make it through

 

[Happienumber]

YAY! Can't wait! 

 

I had to re-read the basil one like three times haha. Like, just the first sentence over and over. Like did she really just say basil?

Oh..OH ok, growing basil. 

[Mad Hatter]

Ohai, awesome stuff as always! 

 

I think limiting your handstands is a very good idea, it’s so easy to get stuck in the “just one more good one” mode.  When practicing kick ups especially I always limit it to five per set. Or try to.  

[lucky fire dragon]

ECXITE!!!!

 

Wanna see all the free pretzel glory sprinkled in basil 

 

7 minutes ago, Mad Hatter said:

think limiting your handstands is a very good idea, it’s so easy to get stuck in the “just one more good one” mode.  When practicing kick ups especially I always limit it to five per set. Or try to.  

 

 I want to have your problems

[@mu]

7 hours ago, Happienumber said:

YAY! Can't wait! 

 

I had to re-read the basil one like three times haha. Like, just the first sentence over and over. Like did she really just say basil?

Oh..OH ok, growing basil. 

 

why? what's up with basil?

 

21 minutes ago, Mad Hatter said:

I think limiting your handstands is a very good idea, it’s so easy to get stuck in the “just one more good one” mode.  When practicing kick ups especially I always limit it to five per set. Or try to.  

 

yes I'm not sure why this happens with handstands, bunny curse I wouldn't do that for other inverts. Maybe it will feel different on parallettes. I'm hoping to get my new ones soon. I don't want to press my father-in-law too much, he is kind enough to actually build them, but please please please can I have them tomorrow!

 

Edit: oops return button hit a bit too quick

[@mu]

14 minutes ago, lucky fire dragon said:

Wanna see all the free pretzel glory sprinkled in basil 

 

well this morning I saw the cat had been curious... A pot was upside down with half the soil out... This might well be my hardest goal

[lucky fire dragon]

oh no! This will be really tricky then

 

She was probably trying to plant herself. Ours love lying in flowerbeds big enough to fit them.... and then hopping onto frehsly made beds, of course  

[Mad Hatter]

15 minutes ago, @mu said:

yes I'm not sure why this happens with handstands, bunny curse I wouldn't do that for other inverts.

I think it's a combo of handstands not requiring much strength so you don't notice fatigue in the same way and their addictive nature.  

 

30 minutes ago, lucky fire dragon said:

 I want to have your problems

Well wildly kicking up over and over and over again is a problem anyone can have.  

 

13 minutes ago, @mu said:

well this morning I saw the cat had been curious... A pot was upside down with half the soil out... This might well be my hardest goal

 

[@mu]

12 minutes ago, lucky fire dragon said:

She was probably trying to plant herself. Ours love lying in flowerbeds big enough to fit them.... and then hopping onto frehsly made beds, of course  

 

of course   I also thought that maybe she liked the earth smell and thought it was some kind of new litter, but her bum didn't fit  

I had to put the little pots next to the window today otherwise they won't get any sunlight, but I hope the cat behaves. I put the lids on, I read it helps keep the moisture on. I'm hoping this will keep them secure from the cat as well. Wishful thinking maybe...

 

[lucky fire dragon]

14 minutes ago, Mad Hatter said:

Well wildly kicking up over and over and over again is a problem anyone can have.  

 

that yes, but WANTING to do more of it - my lazy bum is nowadays just so.... lazy 

 

5 minutes ago, @mu said:

 

of course   I also thought that maybe she liked the earth smell and thought it was some kind of new litter, but her bum didn't fit  

I had to put the little pots next to the window today otherwise they won't get any sunlight, but I hope the cat behaves. I put the lids on, I read it helps keep the moisture on. I'm hoping this will keep them secure from the cat as well. Wishful thinking maybe...

 

 

[Mad Hatter]

6 minutes ago, lucky fire dragon said:

that yes, but WANTING to do more of it - my lazy bum is nowadays just so.... lazy 

I get that, but handstands are SO addictive once you get the first taste of balance!

[Happienumber]

 
[emoji14] why? what's up with basil? [emoji38]

Nothing lol. It just didn't at first connect as a typical challenge goal in my one track brain. I thought it was some kind of exercise LOL and finally my brain was like oh the ACTUAL PLANT

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[@mu]

1 hour ago, Happienumber said:

I thought it was some kind of exercise LOL

 

It was very funny to read again that way indeed it actually makes sense, I have heard weirder names for exercises  Basil, not yet though.

We could come up with something! We could have the Basil, and the Holy Basil for the master version of it

 

[@mu]

You know I had made a paper aerialist some time ago to practice knots on silks. I had made a pic of it:

 

It lost a leg as well in the end, I made another one entirely wrapped in tape.

Well, when I setup at work this morning, they both fell out of my bag's pocket and my colleague looked at me weirdly: What are you doing with all these dolls? Some kind of voodoo magic??

[Mad Hatter]

4 minutes ago, @mu said:

You know I had made a paper aerialist some time ago to practice knots on silks. I had made a pic of it:

 

It lost a leg as well in the end, I made another one entirely wrapped in tape.

Well, when I setup at work this morning, they both fell out of my bag's pocket and my colleague looked at me weirdly: What are you doing with all these dolls? Some kind of voodoo magic??

Obviously yes. How else are you going to handle colleagues too nosy for their own good?

[Happienumber]

 
[emoji38] It was very funny to read again that way indeed [emoji3] it actually makes sense, I have heard weirder names for exercises  [emoji3] Basil, not yet though.
We could come up with something! We could have the Basil, and the Holy Basil for the master version of it [emoji14]
 

Hahaha we should! Gosh idk what basil even looks like, could there be a basil shaped pose??
I should know what basil looks like....

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[Happienumber]

You know I had made a paper aerialist some time ago to practice knots on silks. I had made a pic of it:

 

It lost a leg as well in the end, I made another one entirely wrapped in tape.

Well, when I setup at work this morning, they both fell out of my bag's pocket and my colleague looked at me weirdly: What are you doing with all these dolls? Some kind of voodoo magic??[emoji3]

I remeber that pic from before and it reminded me of voodoo then too :D

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[@mu]

21 hours ago, Mad Hatter said:

Obviously yes. How else are you going to handle colleagues too nosy for their own good?

 

ha! prying is a common pastime around here it seems, not sure I can escape it!

 

9 hours ago, Happienumber said:

I should know what basil looks like....

 

I hope I can grow those seeds and send you a pic

 

A bit of "admin" today

• I tried a few new exercises to check my timing / baseline
• Posted the Parallettes PvP setup + a first move
• Some "Primary Goal: Set square" video recording for future reference. I'm not sure I will improve that much over a single challenge, because I have been at it for a while and progress is really slow. But maybe I can look back in 6-month time and see some straightening up without the need of a microscope

Here it is: bent arm press angle / inverted pike  / HS 

 

 

 

 

 

[Mad Hatter]

I'm always blown away by your strength when you post videos!

[Happienumber]

That handstand seems like a giant leap forward in balance time from last challege!!

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[Happienumber]

I'm always blown away by your strength when you post videos!

Same here!!

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[@mu]

Thank you guys!

 

6 minutes ago, Happienumber said:

That handstand seems like a giant leap forward in balance time from last challege!!
 

 

In balance time, not at all actually, appearances can be deceiving the previous video, I was in the air ~9s,  this one barely 5s.  But I'm not noodle-ing as much maybe

 

 

[Happienumber]

Thank you guys!
 
 
In balance time, not at all actually, appearances can be deceiving [emoji14] the previous video, I was in the air ~9s,  this one barely 5s.  But I'm not noodle-ing as much maybe [emoji3]
 
 

Huh, wow I guess appearances are deceiving. It seemed much long to me lol. Maybe because of the noodling HAHA. now that its stiller it seems longer?

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[@mu]

2 hours ago, Happienumber said:

Huh, wow I guess appearances are deceiving. It seemed much long to me lol. Maybe because of the noodling HAHA. now that its stiller it seems longer?

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Maybe?

 

I'm on my way to theatre and I got this pic from my husband: 

 

 

[Mad Hatter]

Yay!