Raptron Turns 50?!?! [Challenges]

[raptron]

I am not turning 50 years old (as some of you may remember, I just turned 30 in January), BUT...

 

THIS IS MY 50TH CHALLENGE ON THE FORUMS. 

 

WHAT?

HOW EVEN?

AM I OKAY?

 

Let's take a breath and relax for a minute. I think this calls for some reflection, but honestly, I just feel like I need to get a challenge up and running! Reflections to follow! I just wrapped up my 5th club gymnastics national-level competition as a competitor and 6th in general and ALL OF THEM have been while I have been on these forums. Wild. Wild. Wild. Wild. I don't have videos to share just yet, but I should have them later.

 

What are we working on THIS TIME? (The same thing we do every night, Pinky...)

 

1. Lifting

• Pick a program to last at least 8 weeks
• Commit to alternating 3 days/week and 4 days/week [or realize that won't work for me]

2. Offseason shenanigans

• Film a dumb bodyweight or gymnastics challenge every week for fun

3. Eat in more

• Eat 4/5 weeknight meals at home
• Eat at least one real dinner or lunch at home on the weekend

4. Talk about the last 5.5 years of my journey and THINK AHEAD

• Post at least one update a week about something in the last 50 challenges
• Reflect on what's been working for me and why, share my thoughts with you guys

 

[raptron]

For those of you who don't know what you are getting into, this is a casual Saturday night:

 

 

[CourtnieMarie]

congrats!!

 

[RogueLibrarian]

2 hours ago, raptron said:

For those of you who don't know what you are getting into, this is a casual Saturday night:

 

I try so hard not to objectify your leg muscles, and then you go and do this 

 

Also, feeling a little attacked by the subject line

 

Okay carry on bud

[raptron]

2 hours ago, RogueLibrarian said:

I try so hard not to objectify your leg muscles, and then you go and do this 

 

2 hours ago, RogueLibrarian said:

Also, feeling a little attacked by the subject line

I express this much surprise and delight any time I survive another year, so I am definitely not coming for youuuu! 

 

2 hours ago, RogueLibrarian said:

Okay carry on bud

Aye, aye!

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

5 hours ago, raptron said:

For those of you who don't know what you are getting into, this is a casual Saturday night:

 

I am at least moderately interested in the BAC of the narrator at the time of filming.

[RogueLibrarian]

2 hours ago, raptron said:

I express this much surprise and delight any time I survive another year, so I am definitely not coming for youuuu! 

 

(Because you see I *am* turning 50 this summer)

 

2 hours ago, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

I am at least moderately interested in the BAC of the narrator at the time of filming.

 

HA. Cosign.

[Harriet]

Happy 50th!
 

[WhiteGhost]

12 hours ago, raptron said:

4. Talk about the last 5.5 years of my journey and THINK AHEAD

• Post at least one update a week about something in the last 50 challenges
• Reflect on what's been working for me and why, share my thoughts with you guys

I always enjoy following your challenges but especially looking forward to this part  

 

12 hours ago, raptron said:

this is a casual Saturday night

I cringed the whole time I watched that because all of the beach poles like that I have ever seen were so splintery you would have ended up with porcupine legs.

[annyshay]

[@mu]

On 4/19/2019 at 5:06 PM, raptron said:

Talk about the last 5.5 years of my journey and THINK AHEAD

• Post at least one update a week about something in the last 50 challenges
• Reflect on what's been working for me and why, share my thoughts with you guys

 

Love this!

 

Raaaowww that video it looks like an  Attenborough documentary (on LSD or something )

[Stronkey Kong]

What better way is there to celebrate 50 challenges than...

 

[raptron]

On 4/19/2019 at 4:59 PM, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

I am at least moderately interested in the BAC of the narrator at the time of filming.

Quote

HA. Cosign.

Not... low. We maybe split a bottle of Milagro tequila.

 

On 4/19/2019 at 7:14 PM, RogueLibrarian said:

(Because you see I *am* turning 50 this summer)

I WILL EXPRESS MUCH EXCITEMENT ABOUT YOUR CONTINUED SURVIVAL!!!

 

On 4/19/2019 at 11:21 PM, WhiteGhost said:

I cringed the whole time I watched that because all of the beach poles like that I have ever seen were so splintery you would have ended up with porcupine legs.

Honestly, no splinters! I got some scrapes, but it was mostly bruises because I bruise like a peach.

 

On 4/20/2019 at 6:41 PM, Curl Brogo said:

What better way is there to celebrate 50 challenges than...

 

DINO SOCCER POLO...?!!?!? I want it.

 

Okay, zero week went like this:

Flew back from Florida on Wednesday, did some light bench and squats at the gym, went home, ran a D&D session (Our players, trying to run from their most recent act of domestic terrorism fall in with a cult that seems bent on taking down Detritropolis' Mayor and seat of office... perhaps from one terrorist fire to another). 

 

Thursday --  I went to gymnastics practice (post-season fever is already in swing) and worked a ton on back handsprings on low beam, front handsprings on low beam with mats, and my front walkover series on high beam. I forgot my grips, so I couldn't swing bars, but I did also do a decent amount of front tumbling including a couple front handspring front pike + front tucks, but one I kind of gave myself whiplash, so I ended them earlier than I normally would have.

 

Friday -- more lifting! I did 4 x 5 x 275# deads pretty easily, though it was really warm in the gym and I was getting more winded than muscle fatigued, lol. After that, I went to my cousin's house for a Passover Seder. 

 

Saturday -- more gymnastics! I did a lot more front tumbling and it went pretty well! 4/5 front handspring + front pike + front tucks to my feet -- I will probably drill this pass ALL off-season because I need it to be reliable next season. I STILL forgot my grips, but that doesn't prevent me from working on cast to handstand attempts, so I did a bunch of those -- which are dumb, but I think I could maybe actually learn one this summer if I focus on bars more often than I usually do. I did more front handsprings on the low beam and that was kind of that! Some lifting friends of mine have created ADVENTURE CLUB (that I mentioned last challenge went to a butterfly atrium) and Saturday was my turn. I took us to a big ass glass globe you can stand in, then we got pizza and ice cream. I went home, took a very important nap, and then met back up with basically the same people plus more for a cookout where I forced people to watch the gymnastics NCAA National Championship with me, haha.

 

Sunday -- I slept for like 10+ hours Saturday night and was slow to rise on Sunday. I headed to the lifting gym to do some heavier squats and bench, but nothing too crazy. I did 3 x 5 x 240# squats, 4 x 5 x 125# bench, lat raises, push-ups, and bulgarian split squats. Picked up some groceries, went home, did some cooking for the next couple of days (roasted chicken thighs, braised collards, and a baked polenta that I put too much cheese in so it is kind of greasy but ummm, it's full of cheese, so it's still good). Then, my ex and I went out for dinner to catch up and I thought maybe talk over some more timeline stuff, but we didn't really get to that.

 

My floor video that someone else took still isn't done processing/uploading in Google photos (and the other person who took videos hasn't uploaded yet either) but we can look at uneven bars! 

 

 

5 years ago:

 

 

This year:

 

Most importantly, our leos are much better.  But YA CASUAL STICK THE DISMOUNT SITUATION THERE. WOO!

 

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

Great improvement!

[WhiteGhost]

Yeah, very solid dismount.  But not only that, pretty much all of your movements are much cleaner and more graceful.  Very obvious progress!  

[Harriet]

Nice! Also, I just realised what "uneven bars" are  

[Mike Wazowski]

That dismount YO! Awesome to see the change over 5 years, isn't it?

 

Happy 50th challenge, can't wait to hear your ruminating about what's worked and why!

[@mu]

Brilliant! Lots of visible change even for muggles like me. You look much more self-confident too

[raptron]

20 hours ago, Mike Wazowski said:

That dismount YO! Awesome to see the change over 5 years, isn't it?

It is, but it's also been a bit of a kick in the pants to realize how little time I've spent trying to improve my bars and how much farther I COULD be. So obvious that has led to me planning on a lot of barwork in my upcoming practices...

 

Day 1.1

Team only practice on Mondays will continue at least until mid-June, which is awesome because it's so nice to have the team environment on a weeknight with a gym not crawling with other teams, class, open gym-ers, etc. As I mentioned above, I'm feeling very antsy about improving my uneven bars skills. After warm-ups, I went right there (didn't forget my grips this time) to drill free hip circles and toe-to-high bar transitions. I may need to use some drills on my free hips instead of just throwing myself at the skill to try to improve it because they all kind of felt the same. The toe-to-highs were actually really good and improved significantly after just working on 10 of them. My very last one, I think I could have connected it into a kip on the high bar, WHICH IS THE GOAL.

 

After bars, I did back handsprings on the low beam and then moved them up to the high beam with the big mat nearly flush with the bottom of the beam. Fear victory. That particular skill just needs lots and lots of exposure from me until I feel comfortable again about my hands. Breaking my finger in November while training them was QUITE the mental setback, but I'm ready to power through and get this freaking skill routine ready. Maybe... even connect it to another skill. If we're going to get wild next season.

 

That was that, though! I finished with stretching and got dinner with two of my teammates because I kind of forgot about trying to eat my weeknight meals at home. I did get something with leftovers though, so that always helps! 

 

Lifting: program - 0/1, lifting sessions 0/0

Offseason shenanigans: 0/1

Eat in: 0/4 weeknight meals at home, 0/1 weekend meal at home

Reflections: 0/1

 

I need to pick a fun offseason shenanigan to film for the week... I have some ideas.

[Mike Wazowski]

16 minutes ago, raptron said:

It is, but it's also been a bit of a kick in the pants to realize how little time I've spent trying to improve my bars and how much farther I COULD be. So obvious that has led to me planning on a lot of barwork in my upcoming practices...

I feel you there on SO many levels - seeing myself on video from a couple weeks ago was really eye-opening on how far some things have come and how much farther I feel like some things could be pushed.

 

16 minutes ago, raptron said:

Day 1.1

Team only practice on Mondays will continue at least until mid-June, which is awesome because it's so nice to have the team environment on a weeknight with a gym not crawling with other teams, class, open gym-ers, etc. As I mentioned above, I'm feeling very antsy about improving my uneven bars skills. After warm-ups, I went right there (didn't forget my grips this time) to drill free hip circles and toe-to-high bar transitions. I may need to use some drills on my free hips instead of just throwing myself at the skill to try to improve it because they all kind of felt the same. The toe-to-highs were actually really good and improved significantly after just working on 10 of them. My very last one, I think I could have connected it into a kip on the high bar, WHICH IS THE GOAL.

 

After bars, I did back handsprings on the low beam and then moved them up to the high beam with the big mat nearly flush with the bottom of the beam. Fear victory. That particular skill just needs lots and lots of exposure from me until I feel comfortable again about my hands. Breaking my finger in November while training them was QUITE the mental setback, but I'm ready to power through and get this freaking skill routine ready. Maybe... even connect it to another skill. If we're going to get wild next season.

Sounds like a really productive practice! Are you feeling an extra burst of motivation post-nationals? I get that most of the time when I get done with a dance competition.

 

16 minutes ago, raptron said:

I need to pick a fun offseason shenanigan to film for the week... I have some ideas.

Cannot wait to see this shenanigan!

[raptron]

10 minutes ago, Mike Wazowski said:

I feel you there on SO many levels - seeing myself on video from a couple weeks ago was really eye-opening on how far some things have come and how much farther I feel like some things could be pushed.

YEP YEP YEP.

 

10 minutes ago, Mike Wazowski said:

Sounds like a really productive practice! Are you feeling an extra burst of motivation post-nationals? I get that most of the time when I get done with a dance competition.

The post-season frenzy is real. Everyone gets really excited not to have to work on routines and goes hard on training new or fledging skills that they didn't compete or get to work on much during the season.  

 

[WhiteGhost]

34 minutes ago, raptron said:

toe-to-high bar transitions

Is this the thing you did for Nationals (like a bar hop + jump to high bar) or is it more like a toe shoot (like a basket swing + lache)?  Something else?  Google was not very helpful   The toe shoot looks like it would be really hard to link into a kip

[raptron]

4 minutes ago, WhiteGhost said:

Is this the thing you did for Nationals (like a bar hop + jump to high bar) or is it more like a toe shoot (like a basket swing + lache)?  Something else?  Google was not very helpful   The toe shoot looks like it would be really hard to link into a kip

Toe shoot! (Of flying squirrel fame) 

 

You have to turn-over enough to get your feet behind you when you catch the high bar. 

 

Kyla Ross has a perfect one (at ~0:11s in)

 

 

 

[WhiteGhost]

That's cool!

 

6 minutes ago, raptron said:

You have to turn-over enough to get your feet behind you when you catch the high bar.

Yeah, that looks really hard to get that kind of rotation.  Even Kyla wasn't getting much of a glide out of it so she had to really power into her kip

[KB Girl]

50?! holy shit!

Really cool to see the side by side comparison! Looking forward to the rest. 

Also post season frenzy sounds really fun