Thatgirljj tackles the rings

[Croman Red]

100%!  Way to go:)

[Nymeria]

I'm not surprised that they recommend 5 pull-ups for R1.  Rings don't come across to me as a beginner apparatus.  Other than maybe skin-the-cats, wouldn't just about everything be tougher to do on rings than it would be on the floor, parallettes, or a single pull-up bar?  It seems like not only would you need the muscle development to do the moves, but you'd also need tons of extra stabilization (which is probably easier for you than most people from all of the aerial stuff).

 

Great job with acing the first week!  Keep it up!

[thatgirljj]

I'm not surprised that they recommend 5 pull-ups for R1.  Rings don't come across to me as a beginner apparatus.  Other than maybe skin-the-cats, wouldn't just about everything be tougher to do on rings than it would be on the floor, parallettes, or a single pull-up bar?  It seems like not only would you need the muscle development to do the moves, but you'd also need tons of extra stabilization (which is probably easier for you than most people from all of the aerial stuff).

 

Well, the "tons of extra stabilization" is exactly what you're developing in the first phase of the novice program!  :-)    The GMB dudes are smart like that. 

 

But yeah, I would think that if you couldn't at least string 2-3 pull-ups together you'd be wasting your money on R1, especially since they have training programs that are spot on for athletes at that level.  The prep/conditioning program part of R1 can help, but if you don't have a single pull-up yet, you'd really be spinning your wheels for a while.  

[thatgirljj]

Straps class tonight.  Forgot my wristbands which meant a good deal of pain.  The compression hurts with wrist guards (although it's getting better), but without the wristbands it's compression AND abraison.  Ouch.  Good news though, I am getting really close on the muscle up.  I'm actually getting the press up part (like dip) with my arms in the right position.  It's just that transition between the pullup and the press that's still eluding me.  I'm thinking part of the problem is that I'm not entirely comfortable with my arms in the top of the pull-up position... possibly doing some narrow chin-ups might help (along with the dips that I've been working hard at).  I also did some good solid work on my back planche.  One of my friends said I was going about 30 degrees down from vertical, and I swear I felt like I was barely 10-15 degrees.  But by the end of class my shoulders were just done, and I couldn't finish out the very last exercise of the class.  I wrapped for it and went... NOPE... body not going to do it.  The coach of that class really loves to leave us trashed, so I could tell he was pretty proud of me.  

 

So just for my own reference, here's the skills I'm working on for straps:

Skin the cats.  (have them, just working on depth)

Muscle up.  (close)

Meathook. (close)

Back planche. (getting there)

Roll up.

Back balance.

[Paradigm]

Holy cow! 100% is so awesome. Go JJ! 

Is there some kind of incentive you could give yourself to write the log every day rather than putting it off? That usually helps me. 

[Mad Hatter]

Woot 100% = 100% AWESOME! What a great first week!

[lyranedara]

Great work! I love reading your workout summaries.

[KB Girl]

Can you practice just the transition? Does your coach know how to help you work that part? I agree with Lexphoenix, it is great to read your summaries

[thatgirljj]

OK... sorry had a few days break there.  Busy, busy... going through some volunteer training for my son's school and basically doing the things.  

 

Goals update... 

 

On schedule with GMB.  Yesterday's workout was solid on form, but still tough.  This week was the last week where I'm going to be doubling up an aerial workout with an above-the-rings day, which will be a relief.  Two-a-days aren't awful, but they're also not really great workouts.  Filming my hammock piece on Saturday and then I'll set it aside for a little while.  

 

Paper training log is coming along.  I don't always get the entries in immediately after the workout (especially with the GMB workouts where I have notes on my clipboard) but I have been doing the write-ups within a day or two. 

 

Knee hyperextension yoga video done for the week.  

 

Life quest: Slightly lagging behind on the yardwork, but not so much that I can't make it up over the weekend.  I may scale this back to 4 days a week instead of 5 days a week because I can fill the green bin easily in 3 days, and then I don't have all that much else to do that doesn't require clearing debris.  

[thatgirljj]

Can you practice just the transition? Does your coach know how to help you work that part? I agree with Lexphoenix, it is great to read your summaries

 

He does know how to help me work that, but it really helps to get more input.  In the case of the muscle-up, I got some tips on the transition from another girl in the class that are helping me a lot.  But some of it, you just have to learn it in your muscles, not in your mind.  YKWIM?

[Mad Hatter]

But some of it, you just have to learn it in your muscles, not in your mind.  YKWIM?

 

Ha, if only I could switch off my brain and let my body do the work! It would make everything so much easier.

[thatgirljj]

So last night I took a "Before" video of my mad juggling skills.  And by "mad juggling skills" I mean "mad club dropping skills".  Ah well... can only get better from here.  (Also at the end, a cameo from my juggling assistant.)

 

 

ADDENDUM: I am mopey as hell about doing my GMB workout today, mostly because I still have DOMS from Wednesday's workout.  That second training session on Wed took a lot out of me, even though it didn't feel like it at the time.  I'm already looking forward to a light day tomorrow and my rest day Sunday.

[Aeryn]

Hey, nice video! You've got a good clean pattern with balls - now you get to do all the tricks! And you're getting there with the clubs, too! Do you want advice? I can give a couple of pointers, but I know sometimes you just need to work it out on your own. Anyway, yay juggling!

[Elastigirl]

Loved the video and the fact that you are learning to juggle. I loved the expression on your face when you caught both the clubs-

[thatgirljj]

OK... story time... Background: I haven't yet got my ring mount up in the garage, so I'm still at the park, setting up my rings on the playground equipment.

 

Today, I get to the park and there's an Armenian senior daycare group having a picnic, maybe 40 or 50 older people, but they're a little ways away from me, so I pretty much ignore them and get started.  There are no kids on the playground equipment.  I warm up, and get going... I was in a miserable mood, so when one of the Armenian gentleman ambles over, I get a little cranky, but he walks past me and sits down on one of the swings.  I'm just doing my thing by the monkey bars, and he's just swinging, and a couple of other ladies wander up and sit on the swings with him.  And then they all get up, walk over near me, giggling and talking in Armenian and they climb up the stairs to the top of the slide.  One of the old ladies slides down the slide and then falls on her behind in the sand, laughing.  At this point the middle aged women who are supposed to be taking care of them see what's going on, and come over and start yelling at her and make the gentleman and other lady come down off the top of the slide.  And then some of the other old people come over and I can tell by the hand gestures that they're gossiping, disapprovingly, about the lady who went down the slide.  The whole time I'm on my rings, watching out of the corner of my eye and thinking "Good god, leave her be!  That could be the last time she goes down a slide in her life, why not let her have a little fun?"  

 

 

Hey, nice video! You've got a good clean pattern with balls - now you get to do all the tricks! And you're getting there with the clubs, too! Do you want advice? I can give a couple of pointers, but I know sometimes you just need to work it out on your own. Anyway, yay juggling!

 

Advice?  Yes!  I know I'm supposed to have a toss with the club that goes more smoothly from one side of the body to the other, and I'm just having trouble getting that reliably.  With the balls, I do have the toss from the back, but I haven't been able to work it into a cascade yet.  

[Aeryn]

Aw, that is a great story! Poor lady just wanted to play on the slide.

 

Advice?  Yes!  I know I'm supposed to have a toss with the club that goes more smoothly from one side of the body to the other, and I'm just having trouble getting that reliably.  With the balls, I do have the toss from the back, but I haven't been able to work it into a cascade yet.

Behind the back is a great trick - you'll get there!

So I started trying to write out advice for clubs, and decided it would be easier to just show you what I'm talking about, so here, have a video:

[milythael]

After watching this video, I ordered clubs. I haven't juggled clubs since around 1994. Back then, I taught myself clubs and could do it for a month or two before the Navy sent me off to some ship in the Med and I lost my juggling / busking partners.

 

I could seriously have used these tips when I was first learning and I'm bloody excited to work on this skill again. My clubs should arrive tomorrow. *bounces excitedly*

[thatgirljj]

ACK, Vimeo isn't loading for me.  I'll try it again tomorrow.  And at risk of turning my whole challenge thread into nonstop juggling... I got a sasaki gymnastics ball!, it's a specialty ball used by rhythmic gymnasts that's supposed to be really good for bodyroll tricks (as reviewed on Ministry of Manipulation).  I tried some bodyrolling stuff at that workshop I was at, and the juggling instructor was really encouraging, so when I saw a junior sized ball on sale, I jumped at it.  It's actually really super fun to work with.  I had tried some of those tricks with the acrylic contact ball I had in college and they were a total no-go, but the sasaki ball is both kinda grabby and really rolly at the same time.  Super fun.  Now to keep it hidden from the kiddo, so he doesn't damage it... he popped his favorite rubber ball this weekend.  

 

Weekly update:

Goal 1: I"m giving myself a 6/7 for sticking to my schedule.  Yesterday I filmed my hammock routine in lieu of class... normally I would have counted it EXCEPT, I didn't warm up or cool down properly or do any of GMB's active recovery.  Sticking to the program means sticking to th program and not doing stupid stuff that makes my back cramp up (which it did).  Grrrr...  Today I had a freaking kickass recovery day because... wait for it... I GOT TO TAKE A NAP!!!  Ever since my son gave them up, naptime is rare for the grownups around here.

 

Goal 2:  Training log is now behind by 3 days.  And yet I'm typing here instead of writing it up.  I has the dumb.  

 

Goal 3: Hypermobility yoga done.

 

Goal 4: I am going to scale back to 4 days of heavy yardwork.  This week I did 4 and the green bin is full.  Done and Done.

 

Also, obviously I have been juggling.  And previewing the youtube videos about how to set up my slackline... I might give that a try in the park with the kiddo sometime next week, he's pretty interested in trying it.

[KB Girl]

Nice juggling video! I always like these kind of videos that'll give you something to look back at a couple months from now

Also 'liked' the story, it was sad actually. It should really tell us something. We had a 60yr old lady train at the gym yesterday, I have such massive amounts of respect for that; deciding to learn how to move when you're already 60 yrs old. Fuck yes. Even if it is just going down slides.

 

He does know how to help me work that, but it really helps to get more input.  In the case of the muscle-up, I got some tips on the transition from another girl in the class that are helping me a lot.  But some of it, you just have to learn it in your muscles, not in your mind.  YKWIM?

I do, i do. My partner grabs people by the ankles and supports them while they're practicing the transition. It seems to help ppl let their muscles get the feel for it better than when standing/kneeling on the ground. 

[thatgirljj]

OK.... little bit of long term fitness planning here, things are pretty crazy between now and December...

 

My circus school is doing a showcase in early December, auditions are October 19-20th.  Between now and auditions, no worries, I may do an extra session here or there to tweak my audition piece, but nothing major.  Following that however, is going to be major act development and rehearsal.  Which is going to mean that I shouldn't be moving on to the next phase of Rings 1 until showcase is done.  I think what I'm going to plan for is just to stretch the conditioning portion (phase 1) all the way through mid December and start the skill acquisition & flow phases in January.  So it's probably going to look like this:

October 1- 20: Phase 1 + normal training 

October 21- 27: Phase 1 + act development

October 29 - November 3: Deload.  Break from GMB, do 1-2 sessions act development

November 4 - 10: Week of travel + my 40th birthday, only do stuff I think is fun!  

November 11 - December 15: Act development and rehearsal + try to fit in 2 conditioning sessions on rings per week

December 16 - 22: Full deload week!!!  Do NOTHING!  Possibly skip holiday NF challenge, possibly do challenge to cope with stress of my MiL being here for holidays.  

December 30 - January 6: Test out where I am with rings to prepare for the skills work in the first 2014 challenge.  

 

Incidentally, while this seems like a lot, it actually means I can slow down and not push myself to build up to the max reps in R1 as quickly since I know I'm going to be continuing with the conditioning phase over a much longer period.  I think it's actually going to be pretty valuable to be forced to take it S-L-O-W.

[thatgirljj]

OH MY GOD... GUYZ...  I GOT A MUSCLE UP ON STRAPS!!!

 

No, theres no video, I tried it two more times and didn't get it those times. But I got it once, and more importantly, I think I understand where I've been getting stuck and how to train to not get stuck.  To start with, my coach had me getting up into the top position, holding for a good long while and then lowering down properly.  When I tried the muscle up after a couple of times of the top position holds, I actually got it on the second try.  And then when I didn't get it on the third or fourth try, I figured out the problem... I'm slightly rotating my right shoulder head forwards and it screws up my leverage just enough that I can't get the press portion of the movement and I get stuck.  This is great because now I can practice keeping the shoulder head back in the top position hold and in the negative and hopefully start to get them on a regular basis.

 

And then I strained an intercostal muscle doing meathooks, but hey, you can't win 'em all.  That's what Aleve is for, no?  

[Mad Hatter]

YAAAAAAAYYY!!!

 

[thatgirljj]

Oh so you were watching my "I just got a muscle-up" boogie?  'Cuz it looked just like that!

[lyranedara]

Nice work on the muscle up!

[Mad Hatter]

Of course I was. I'm secretly spying on you. And boogieing with you.