It's aliiiiiiiiive!

[PointyEnd]

Yeah so. It's been awhile, no? HOLY FUCKSTICKS I MISSED ALL YOU MONK PEOPLE. 

 

Taking a page from the Book of Cob -- I'm not going to embark on a proper challenge, seeing as it's already a week in, and I've been AWOL for months. 

 

That said. There's some stuff I'd like to do. 

 

1. Keep up with all you fine people. I see there's a bunch of new monks since I was in town last. Hi, new monks! 

 

2. Compete! I'm going to at least one fencing competition during the six-week challenge period -- the Pomme de Terre at Brandeis next weekend -- and my goal is to place in the upper half of the E and Under women's foilists. EAT MY STEEL, COLLEGE KIDS.

 

3. Lifting! I embarked on a weightlifting program recently, and I'm gonna keep notes on it here. ONE DAY I WILL BENCH MY OWN DAMN BODYWEIGHT, SO HELP ME GOD.

 

I might do some burpees, too. I <3 burpees. I might even do some mini-challenge stuff.

 

This August, I'm going to do a weekend parkour retreat, and by the time that rolls around, I'd like to be able to do a half-dozen proper pullups. I don't know when that kind of opportunity is going to roll around again in my far-out neck of the woods, and it'd be nice to be able to focus on technique instead of struggling with strength. 

 

Y'all are a bunch of rockstars, and I'm equal parts sheepish at having been away so long and psyched to be back in touch.

 

EXCELSIOR. 

[PointyEnd]

Lifting notes!

 

I'm working on a very simple 5x5 program -- basically, benches, squats, pull-ups, military presses, rows, and if I can get somebody to show me how to do proper deadlifts, I will incorporate those as well. 

 

Today: Bench press - 75 - 5x5 

Squat: 85 - 5x5 

Negative pullups: 3x5, 2x4

One-arm dumbbell row: 25 - 1x8 each side

Overhead dumbbell press: 25 - 1x5, 20- 1x5

Box jumps: 2x25

Bunch of lunges & footwork w/2.5lb weights

[Kishi]

DO DEADLIFTS. LIKE, ALL THE DEADLIFTS. And then STAB SOMEONE WITH THE BARBELL.

 

...

 

Wat. I don't know how fencing works.

 

Welcome back.

[PointyEnd]

Thanks Kishi! 

 

Got my ass handed to me today, at my first-ever historical fencing practice. (Sword = heavy like whoa! Two hands = WHAT EVEN? Toto, we're not in USFA anymore.)

 

It was a good time. And I came home with bruises and shaky knees, which I think means I'm doing it right. 

 

Today:

 

1.5 mile walk w/a sprint in the middle

2 hours broadsword fencing

[kamikaze]

 

It was a good time. And I came home with bruises and shaky knees, which I think means I'm doing it right. 

 

Yep, that sounds like time well spent at work on a martial art!

Welcome back!

 

Also, deadlifts are my most favorite lift. Here's a good guide on how to do them.

http://stronglifts.com/how-to-deadlift-with-proper-technique/

[PointyEnd]

Thanks Kaze! Maybe I will try deadlifts on my own. I've been nervous to try them without a spotter.

 

(My gym is basically divided into two species: The spandex-clad ladies of the cardio classes, and the grunting packs of muscle-shirt dudebros doing shrugs in the squat rack. I don't really fit in with either of them.)

 

Hell, maybe I should make friends with the dudebros. They seem friendly enough, but they're cliquey and never put their weights away, and they kinda look at me like I have three heads.

[Zuel]

Nice! Fencing is so cool. I wished there was be a fencing school near where I live.

 

Keep us updated! 

[PointyEnd]

Thanks Zuel!

 

Fencing is awesome. I highly recommend checking it out, if you ever find yourself in a place with a fencing club or school. Lots of the focus is on training kids for competition, but it's a great sport for adults. Very amateur-driven, and you can compete in tournaments forever if you feel like it. And fencers tend to be really friendly about helping new people get on board. (More people for us to fight. Muahahahaha.)

 

I fence foil,  and have also recently started investigating HEMA -- basically, longsword fighting as a martial art, which is a very different kettle of fish, and looks to be a lot rougher and tougher than regular fencing. There is grappling. Also the sword is, like, a sword sword.

 

I'm still not sure if HEMA is for me long-term -- I worry about the potential for injury -- but it's a lot of fun so far. 

 

Today I had a rest day. Did a little playing-around movement in the living room, and a set of 10 pushups. (Working toward my yellow belt.)

 

I think I'm gaining weight the last couple of weeks. Up from 135, to around 137 or 138-ish. And I think it's muscle, which is good. Would be nice to see the scale move the other way, but I'm more concerned with body composition than weight.

[caponerd48]

Hooray for SORD, um, I mean sword fighting! It's good to have you back, Harris. Even if you don't participate in the challenge, it is nice to see what you are up to!

[john97]

fencing is so cool, I'd love if there was a club near me. I envy you!
and as long as you're competing with yourself at least, its all good

[PointyEnd]

Y'all are excellent. Glad to be back. 

 

Today: 3 hours of fencing. Did not embarrass myself! Got a couple of touches I'm proud of, and got some air in a way I felt good about. Working on that thing where you leap straight up in the air and still have time to think, as you're hurtling toward your opponent, about what you ought to do about the three feet of steel he's waving at you, and where you ought to stick him for maximum un-parryability.

 

(It's not the leaping that's the problem. It's the slowing down of time so you can think in the air. That takes a bit of work.)

 

Also, for the record: Ow. *grin*

 

Competing on Saturday at Brandeis. Against mostly a bunch of 20something women. Seeing as the people I've been fencing all year are larger, older dudes, things are going to be a bit different. I'm hoping that constantly dealing with people who have a lot more reach than I do will give me an edge with people my own size, but I'm also concerned that I'm getting complacent about speed. I'm used to being smaller and faster than most of the guys I fence with. I won't be able to take that for granted this weekend.

[PointyEnd]

Today: Rest day. Some walking.

 

(I went to do a set of pushups and flunked out at 6. Usually I'm getting 10-12 out of a set these days, so I'm guessing rest is the thing on the menu today.)

 

Tomorrow: BURPEES. Also some lifting, at the same weights as last time. Don't want to up weight right before a competition.

 

Friday: Rest day. Walking. 

 

Saturday: Pomme de Terre! 

 

(Writing things down ahead of time, so as to have more incentive to follow the program.)

[Kishi]

Write-ups ahead of time are super handy for accountability. I find it's easier for me to eat the things I say I'll eat if I write them down ahead of time.

[PointyEnd]

Well! That did not go exactly as planned! 

 

Urgh. Ended up placing 33 out of 45 at the P d T -- not exactly in the top half, and in fact slightly worse than my showing at the same event last year (the first competition I'd entered since, um, 1998). 

 

On the bright side, I learned something. It's absolutely crystal clear what I need to work on for competition: Conditioning. And it's a bitch, but it's also within my power to do something concrete about it.

 

This has always been the case for me. I run out of gas much faster in competition setting than in practice (duh, right? I know!) and I always end up in a situation where by the time I get to my toughest bouts, I'm not really acting, just reacting. I felt like I could've advanced if I hadn't been shaky and gulping air by the time I got to direct eliminations.

 

More burpees for me. (And jumprope, and suicides, and box jumps, and footwork conditioning...)

 

Sunday: Rest day. (Lots of walking though.) 

 

Today: Some lifting.

 

Bench press: 5x5, 75 lbs

Negative pullups: 5x5

Dumbbell rows: 2x8, 25 lbs

Overhead dumbbell press: 1x8 (20 lbs each), 2x5 (25 lbs each)

Box jumps: 2x20

Jumprope: 1x100

Dip bar leg raises: 2x20 double

1x8 single leg, each side

[Kishi]

What can be said? You need gas in the tank if you wanna go somewhere.

[PointyEnd]

That is a damn fact. *rueful grin*

Saturday workout:

Bench press, 75: 5x5

Squat, 95: 4x5

Negative pull ups: 5x5

Dip bar leg raises: 3x20

Overhead dumbbell press: 2x5 (25)

Box jumps: 3x20

Dumbbell rows: 1x10 (25, each side)

[PointyEnd]

Rest day today. Sore as hell after yesterday's lifting. 

 

The scale continues to go up. I'm just a few weeks into the weightlifting program, and I'm hoping it's just muscles taking on water.  I will begin worrying when the pants quit fitting. So far, so good in the pants department. 

 

I am making some solid progress on fitness, I can tell. I feel stronger and better. At the same time, I'm hitting a wall in the general life/work department -- and I can't help but feel like it's all a bit of a zero-sum game. Eurrgh.

[Kishi]

There is more and more research to suggest that it is anything but a zero-sum game. Exercising is cementing the connection between your body and your mind, resulting in a stronger, more fluid being. It's worth fighting this out.

[PointyEnd]

There is more and more research to suggest that it is anything but a zero-sum game. Exercising is cementing the connection between your body and your mind, resulting in a stronger, more fluid being. It's worth fighting this out.

 

 

Right you are, Kishi-san -- as usual! 

 

And yet. It's tough. I've always been prone to cycles of success and failure, and it's always hard to see the mountains from the valleys. Grateful for the encouragement; working on keeping despair at bay when things don't work out.

 

I've been fighting tooth and nail to be faster, stronger, a better fencer and a more agile mover, for about a year and a half now, after a long period of neglecting my body. And I'm in a much better place than I was when I started, physically and mentally. I can see that. 

 

This week, I've been taking it easy on account of some pain in my left ankle that I don't quite know how to diagnose. It's either the result of a.) squats, b.) box jumps, or c.) a couple of very perfunctory (and unsuccessful) attempts at pistol squats. I didn't notice hurting it in any way, just woke up with it. 

 

Pain was pretty much gone today, so I got back into the lifting program. Added some weight today, which was exciting. It was sort of an abbreviated workout because I didn't have much time, so I focused on the big stuff.

 

Bench, 80lb: 5x5

Squat, 95: 5x5

Military dumbbell press: 1x5 (25), 1x5 (20)

Bicep curls: 1x5 (20)

Negative pullups: 2x5

Jumprope: 3:00