[SymphonicDan] and the Checklist #2 [level 14]

[tinkerer]

Hey Mr. Dan-

 

Not sure how I haven't read through your challenges before but you are working on some really cool things! Your challenge is plenty ambitious and it seems like you are making good progress on the goals.

 

Weightlifting is weird with regard to gains. Diet, fatigue, mental state, and daily occurrences all seem to contribute to what you can push into the air. How do you choose what weight you are going to attempt to lift?

[Lilith]

Just wishing you luck for challenge week 4!

[KB Girl]

Actually I think it's normal for your back to work more in a low bar squat. When you squat high bar you don't keep back straight by 'doing' anything, it's more a matter of stacking everything properly. So in low bar you're not stacked properly and therefor have to work more at not collapsing your back.

At least, that reasoning makes sense to me.

[SymphonicDan]

Saturday/Sunday: busy times, with a party and a trip to London to pretend to be a university admissions tutor for Physics so some kids could practice.

 

Monday: somehow I'm not as tired as I'd expect, and went along to gymnastics in the big fancy gym:

• front flips: these were acceptable today, and if I get the rhythm right then the flips aren't too bad, landing them low on a crashmat. Not fantastic, but better than recently!
• front handsprings: reasonably good today, except that I need to keep my hands closer when in the handstand position, and drive up harder with my leg. I should also look at my hands rather than my chest in the handstand position, but that isn't so important for now. Next, I tried moving these to the floor without crashmats and it was fine! So that's two achievements off my challenge list since for "do a handspring on the floor without a crashmat anywhere" I had allotted myself a bonus point.
• back flips: no caffeine to sabotage me this week, but still I was having some problems doing these into the foam pit with a crashmat to land on. Again I tricked myself successfully into landing them on the crashmat by "forgetting" where I'd put the crashmat and assuming it were further along the edge The flips themselves were average - although I think I was getting tired towards the end.

Tuesday: tomorrow I might do some bodyweight or rings depending how I feel.

[SymphonicDan]

Actually I think it's normal for your back to work more in a low bar squat. When you squat high bar you don't keep back straight by 'doing' anything, it's more a matter of stacking everything properly. So in low bar you're not stacked properly and therefor have to work more at not collapsing your back.

At least, that reasoning makes sense to me.

 

Okay, I'm glad you have the same analysis as me - I'll follow my intuition then and consider that low bar back squats will also be hard work for my back even with perfect technique. And I have strong legs and less strong back, so I'll feel the back work more acutely!

 

 

Hey Mr. Dan-

 

Not sure how I haven't read through your challenges before but you are working on some really cool things! Your challenge is plenty ambitious and it seems like you are making good progress on the goals.

 

Weightlifting is weird with regard to gains. Diet, fatigue, mental state, and daily occurrences all seem to contribute to what you can push into the air. How do you choose what weight you are going to attempt to lift?

 

Thanks Tinkerer! Good to see you here You're definitely right about the weightlifting - some of my best gains have come from taking a break and doing something else instead.

 

Often I chase 1RM first and then I'll pick the rep range I want to work on. So say I'm lifting 100kg on the squat and I want to do sets of 5 then maybe I'll drop down to 80kg or 85kg. If I want to do lots of single 1-rep sets then I'll stay at 90kg or 95kg.

 

 

Sorry for a low week, but... mental calculation is back!! Will there be a shortlist before Las Vegas?

 

As far as I know, I'll have to apply with evidence of my ability. Then they'll accept people based on various criteria, including getting a large number of countries represented. In practice I'm sure I'll get in even with my old records, since I can see the scores and histories of competitors in the 2012 event.

 

On the other and, if I'm not confident that I'll do well then I don't want to go. Luckily I think I can get in the top half for some events (calendars, square roots) and I'll try some others  

[SymphonicDan]

Wednesday: quick update about gymnastics before I reacqaint myself with my duvet. Good session today of 2-and-a-half hours including some cheerleading.

• front handsprings: these were still okay today although didn't actually try them on floor. Gave some good advice to one of the cheer girls too who was practising the same when I was doing handstands.
• frontflips: played with the timing, blocking and tucking harder. Actually felt my core work for one of the tucks so I must be recruiting the right muscles.
• cartwheels: a few to practice but forgot to record them to see how they are
• round-offs: again forgot to work on these
• handstands: I'm pretty sure I got a static hold of at least 7 seconds today All the correction was done in the shoulders and wrists, so yay or doing things properly. Worked on handstand walking in a counter-clockwise circle. Got about 3/4 around max but learned a lot

Other things: finally looked up bench press technique, including on Nerd Fitness itself. Nothing ground-breaking (I've been lifting for 2 years...) but some promising improvements:

• try narrower and wider grips
• compact shoulders down (like in a strong ring support, as opposed to a strong overhead press)
• feet flat (not sure what I do)

For the challenge I'm currently on 15 points (8 from workouts, 5 from achievements and 2 from studying) which means I officially already get a grade D at minimum Hopefully in the next 3 weeks I'll push that up a lot more

[Lilith]

Oh good to know you already got that many points in the challenge! I have complete confidence in you that you will manage to push up that grade! <3 Really cool that even though you basically know all the lifts, you still try to improve,. It's a reminder for myself actually, to always check if there's a way to formcheck, and get better at the exercises I do. Feet flat for bench press? You just mean flat on the ground? 

[Mad Hatter]

Ooh nice job on the handsprings! You've picked them up really quickly. 

 

Nice handstand too! Do you find it feels very different doing things "right"? Reminds me I should pick up handstand training at some point too...

[SymphonicDan]

Thursday: weightlifting didn't happen because I was tired (which in fact developed into a rare cold that evening) and my friends were bailing for assorted reasons too. Was probably best that I didn't go.

 

Friday: plan was salsa, but I don't think it's polite to dance while ill, so I played football instead, and had a good game in the rain

 

Saturday: cold partly gone and got in a challenge-worthy workout today, including some holds for the mini-challenge. I did

• pistol squats: baaaad (where's my balance? maybe I have better balance when I've warmed up better, including some hamstring stretches)
• superman holds: some max-effort holds for 15-30 seconds
• hollow body: max effort for 1 minute, slowly unfurling to completely flat with my spine still flushed to the floor
• V-ups: sets of 18+ powerful ones - maybe the core workouts from before have paid off?
• wide push-ups: set of 20, plus 5 more to see out the required minute
• L-sit prep: hard, mainly due to weak shoulders
• plank: 90 + 60 + 80 seconds. Often the shoulders are the part that gets tired first, which is odd given my shoulders are generally very strong...

Meanwhile I've been doing some mental calculation practice for the competition next year. The standard is always increasing so I only want to enter if I'm confident of doing okay compared to the others. I've decided that I should enter iff I can do three of the following:

• calculate 40 calendar dates in a minute (currently around 30-35)
• calculate 50 calendar dates in a minute
• calculate 60 calendar dates in a minute
• get 300+ points for square roots (currently around 150-250)
• get 330+ points for square roots
• get 360 points (full marks) in under 15 minutes
• find a way to do 10x10 addition problems reliably in ~60 seconds (currently ~100 seconds)
• find a way to do 8x8 multiplication problems reliably in ~2 minutes (currently ~3 minutes)
• find a method for memorizing 1000 binary digits in 30 minutes (currently have no good method at all)

This way I'll either have one really strong event, or several where I can get in the top half (Or concede that I'm not good enough and shouldn't go)

 

In other news, I've finally managed to book a driving test for March next year!

[SymphonicDan]

Oh good to know you already got that many points in the challenge! I have complete confidence in you that you will manage to push up that grade! <3 Really cool that even though you basically know all the lifts, you still try to improve,. It's a reminder for myself actually, to always check if there's a way to formcheck, and get better at the exercises I do. Feet flat for bench press? You just mean flat on the ground? 

 

Yep - feel flat on the ground. I don't know whether it will make a difference for me, and I think I do it anyway, but I should check anyway I don't actually have that many points so far... I've gotten weaker since August somehow so I'm unlikely to be ticking off any weightlifting PRs, although there are some more gymnastics and bodyweight ones that should be possible.

 

Ooh nice job on the handsprings! You've picked them up really quickly. 

 

Nice handstand too! Do you find it feels very different doing things "right"? Reminds me I should pick up handstand training at some point too...

 

True! Given how long it's taken me to not learn to frontflip and not learn to backflip and sort-of learn to handstand etc., I'm very pleased that it took me only a couple months to get the front handspring And yes, it'd nice when your body just starts responding to the stimuli (of losing balance) in the ways you've tried to teach it!

 

I've realised that I can practise handstands in my office after work, so I might start doing that...

[Mad Hatter]

I'm truly amazed at your mental calculation skills. I really do hope you get to go!

 

And yay for handstands in the office. 

[raptron]

Yay for improvement on your front handsprings and handstand holds!

[Talvi]

Well done on the handstand progress - 7 seconds with adjustments is great!   I'm also pretty excited about your mental calculation practice - how do you even practice those?   Do you learn from others or do you have to come up with your own methods?    *Fingers crossed for Las Vegas*

 

Which goals are you aiming for next on the megalist?   I notice those sprinting and running goals are covered in dust.   I also notice that today and tomorrow have nice warm weather where you are (before it starts to rain for the rest of December).   Hint hint hint

[SymphonicDan]

Monday: So I thought my cold had gone, but either it reappeared or got replaced by an alternative ailment so severe that I took my first day off work for over 2 years Massive headache, and bucketloads of phlegm. Blargh. Was less bad on Tuesday and mostly fine today.

 

Wednesday: wasn't feeling like gymnastics, but the weather was warm and nice...

 

Which goals are you aiming for next on the megalist?   I notice those sprinting and running goals are covered in dust.   I also notice that today and tomorrow have nice warm weather where you are (before it starts to rain for the rest of December).   Hint hint hint

 

...Hint taken I went out today for a couple of 800-metre runs along the busway near my house. It's a wide straight flat streetlit pavement by a road for a bus that thinks it's a train, so perfect for roller-skating on, but also convenient for running. Took 02:59 first time, and 03:0x the second... I'm reasonably pleased with that since I don't really do any running unless I'm playing football or I'm late I think on a better day I could get down to 02:50.

 

So that's one more item off my checklist (do a fast 800m run and time it). Still to do 400m, 1609.344 metres (1 mile) and 5000m

 

I had extra energy when I finished so I did a rings workout of the following in whatever order:

• 50 pull-ups (actually only did 40) (2+1+7+7+6+ smaller sets to finish)
• 40 seconds support hold (25+15 after doing lots of dips)
• 30 dips (10+8+6+6)
• 20 seconds L-sit (5+5+5+5)
• 10 skin-the-cats (5+5)

The pull-ups were for the mini-challenge, but my arms gave way before I finished, so I'll do the remaining 10 another time. Good workout though!

 

In other news, spoke about 50 minutes of Bosnian Spanish with NF's Talvi and I think I've forgotten lots of Spanish words so I should probably refresh those at some point...

 

Tomorrow: grand plans for weightlifting but I might ache lots from today so I'll see how that goes! Should be good for OHP, deadlifts and squats regardless.

[SymphonicDan]

I'm also pretty excited about your mental calculation practice - how do you even practice those?   Do you learn from others or do you have to come up with your own methods?    *Fingers crossed for Las Vegas*

 

For Memoriad, there is official software, so you download the software and that's the best way to practise. Some of the algorithms require memorization, so I do that on Mnenosyne when needed (spaced repetition software, like Anki... if anyone reading this needs to learn vocabulary etc. then use a tool like this  to make better progress).

 

For the Mental Calculation World Cup, the solutions are done on paper, so just before the competition I practise in a more realistic setting for that event.

 

There are standard "best" algorithms that people use. For example for calendar dates, everyone does the Doomsday algorithm and tries to remember as much of the partial answers as possible. For example I know that August 18 means I add 3, which is easier than calculating it as remainder(18 + 6, 7) = 3.

 

Each individual will make modifications on the algorithms so they suit them better. For example in square roots, I used to say in my head "384 and a half" which is slow, so I say it as "384-ch". Sounds silly but it's effective

 

Good news with the calendar calculations is that I'm back up to my February 2015 peak, with 35 dates in a minute, and I have a few ideas that should push me to 40-45 dates per minute. Not yet sure how I can break 50 though!

[Mad Hatter]

Boo for illness! I get the feeling this fall hasn't been very kind to you in terms tiredness/illness at least compared to your always super bouncy self.

Good job on getting out there running!

[SymphonicDan]

Boo for illness! I get the feeling this fall hasn't been very kind to you in terms tiredness/illness at least compared to your always super bouncy self.

Good job on getting out there running!

 

Yep It's one reason why I'm interested in your HRV experiment! I would blame the winter but it started in warm September...

 

Thursday: myself and 3 friends all bailed on weightlifting yet again haha... I was tired and had DOMS from running and rings the night before. We're going to make it more of a priority next week

 

Friday: extra DOMS today so I've been eating like crazy. Also played a good 90 minutes of football. 46 goals were scored (only 2 by me) and lots of running was done. Now to bed

[Lilith]

Friday sounds like a good day, playing football with friends! Sniff for no weightlifting but I can never fault you for not doing something. You always do plenty! 

[SymphonicDan]

Saturday: intentional rest day

 

Sunday: randomized rings workout with a friend:

1. pull-ups: 6+3+1 ring pull-ups to finish the mini challenge
2. dips: 14 in a set - new PR but I'm wondering a little about form... I noticed that my shoulders stayed in the same position throughout some of the reps as my body wasn't getting low enough for my shoulders to move towards chin-height... so either these weren't all full-RoM or usually I do deeper dips than necessary? Not sure... In any case I prefer the deep dips because they train more muscle and make muscle-ups much easier. Also did two further minutes of ring dips later.
3. support hold: 50 seconds but it was after some dips etc.
4. tucked front lever pulls: standard
5. skin the cat: standard, several separate minutes

Tomorrow: hopefully gymnastics

 

Next challenge: I've been thinking - I will probably start next year with a similar checklist, but maybe some gentler goals since I shouldn't be basing my goals from my summer 2015 strength level as it's dipped this Autumn. Also, I've had two lovely long sleeps this weekend and it's clear that my body needed that, and still needs a little more extra sleep.

[Mad Hatter]

Mmmm yummy sleep...

[raptron]

^ Agreeeed! Looks like you are still very consistent with your workouts, though, even if  your strength level has dipped somewhat since the summertime. 

[SymphonicDan]

By some miracle, today I had less DOMS than expected from yesterday's rings training, despite it being a heavy session. In fact today I feel strong However I woke up an hour earlier than expected so was quite tired. Gymnastics happened anyway:

• backflips: ugh, disoriented today and couldn't even throw them into the foam pit Might have been because we were doing plyometrics in the warm-up, which in retrospect was a weird thing to get us to do before the session. Realized pretty quickly that I should work on something else instead!
• frontflips: low - clearly it was not my day for flips, so again I moved onto other things
• cartwheels: people say they're good, even on my weak side, but I know there are still some things I can work on. I should do them more slowly and point my toes so my knee doesn't bend
• handstands: tried walking in a circle with moderate success
• back walkovers: started these again as a precursor to back handsprings. I can do the walkovers if my feet are raised 60cm above my hands to begin with. I intend to practise and get a more flexy back so I can do these properly I'm expecting severe back DOMS tomorrow....

[SymphonicDan]

I'm currently in the process of doing another randomised workout and typing it up during rest breaks

• diamond push-ups: successful new PR of 30 with good form! Tricep-intensive push-ups are so easy for me now... even CPR push-ups feel straightforward... if only I had such gains in all strength things
• bridge: nice arch and nice shoulder stretch
• crow: these feel solid now, and I don't need a pillow in front of my because I no longer faceplant lol. Now concentrating on pointing toes, looking ahead and pushing more with my shoulders.
• crow: more crow. Probably should have warmed up my wrists...
• bridge: now these are difficult and my hands keep sliding away
• wide push-ups: 20 + 5 (doing lots of push-ups today for the mini-challenge!)
• CPR push-ups: 10 + 10
• sidesplits stretches: 1 minute
• wide push-ups: 10 + 10
• CPR push-ups: 10 + 10

So that's 115 push-ups (140/600 total) for the mini-challenge, and 21 points for my main challenge with 5 days left.

[SymphonicDan]

Finished the challenge today with a timed 400m run on the guided busway path near where I live. I noticed the other day that it has distances marked out along it - perfect for medium-distance runs The 400m run took me 67 seconds (my original PB of 79 seconds was set when I was 12 years old lol). I think I started slightly too fast so after 80 metres I was already feeling it haha. The 800m runs last week however were well-paced.

 

~~ CHALLENGE SUMMARY ~~

 

Total score? 22 points:

• two weightlifting sessions - 4 points
• eight randomized workouts - 8 points
• studied form for bench and squat -  2 points
• timed runs for 800m and 400m -  2 points
• 30 diamond push-ups in a set - 2 points
• left-hand-only straddle push-up -  1 point
• handsprings on floor -  2 points
• forward roll on real rings -  1 point

Usually my rationale is:

• grade A - excellent
• grade B - what I'm aiming for
• grade C - if I continue as normal
• grade D - if I underperform

I think I deserve a C+, and actually with 22 points I get a grade C-, so my grading was harsh only by a small amount. I'll adjust that next time

 

A few factors out of my favour were:

• ill on two occasions and often tired on Thursdays (weightlifting day)
• Wednesday gymnastics class got busier
• it's cold and dark

However I think if I'd planned some routine to achieve more of the bodyweight/weightlifting goals, then I would have had more motivation to train more and would have unlocked more points.

 

Thanks everyone for the support, encouragement and advice I have good feelings about 2016, and details about my next challenge will be arriving shortly!

[Mad Hatter]

A C is not bad at all, especially considering illness and stuff. Good job! I look forward to your 2016 goals!